When your life is said and done, being the most successful in your field or profession will not matter. The big house you owned won’t even be a thought. How much you had won’t matter one bit. Who you were will though.
All that will matter is if you knew Jesus Christ. If your life was surrendered to Him.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
John 17:3 NKJV
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NKJV
You and I—all—will stand before Christ whether we knew Him this side of Heaven or not.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV
We all deserve Hell, only those who have placed their Faith in Christ in this life will be pardoned. If you reject the Lord Jesus in this life, you get exactly what you wished for – an eternity apart from Him, receiving the what you deserve for this life in the next.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ….For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
John 3:3, 16-19 NKJV
Believers will be pardoned for looking to Christ for redemption (faith), believing in Him. Their deeds will be judged and they will give an account. But they shall mercifully be ushered into the presence of Christ forever. Not on the basis of their efforts or good deeds but on Christ’s substitutionary atonement in their place.
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.””
Romans 10:9-11 NKJV
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
I Corinthians 3:10-15 NKJV
O Lord, I ask not for success but simply faithfulness. Help me to be faithful.
“His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’”
Matthew 25:21 NKJV
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