As we go on day by day, busy—too busy—with the duties of life, interested—alas, too interested—in the affairs and even the pleasures of this world, how often do we stop to think that every act, every word, every thought is being recorded above, and that one day, we know not how soon, we shall be brought face to face with that record? Nothing in it can we deny or question. The Keeper of the books makes no mistakes. It is an accurate account of our stewardship.
And why this record? Is it to raise a question as to our salvation—a question as to our title to be in the glory? No, dear reader, our title is sure—sure as the fact that God raised His beloved Son from the dead; an act showing God’s approval of the redemption work on the cross. Our standing in Christ, as secure as the foundation Rock on which it rests, can never be questioned.
But what of our state, and the record we are making? This we cannot ignore. We must give an account of every hour—the hours spent to the glory of God—and those other hours when God was absent from our thoughts, or when, in weakness, we yielded to selfish and perhaps wicked desires and temptations.
And at the end of each day, that day’s record is closed. We cannot change it. We cannot blot out those entries that we recall with shame and regret. But with all the regret, we are, or should be, conscious of God’s patience and grace.
Knowing that even now all is manifest to God, if we are continually exercised before Him, that exercise of conscience will have a sanctifying effect, and we will look forward to the manifestation before the judgment seat of Christ, not with dread, but with confidence.
When concealing sin from one against whom we have committed that sin, we are unhappy. A confession unburdens and relieves us. Just so will we rejoice to have all laid bare and finally cleared up, as it were, when we stand before Christ to give account of the walk down here.
Already in our glorified bodies, the righteousness of God in Christ, we shall stand justified and without fear as we behold His majesty, and marvel at His infinite wisdom and grace in dealing with both our failure and our measure of faithfulness here.
May we go on, so in communion with Christ, that the Holy Spirit will have His way with us, causing us to bear fruit of which we shall not be ashamed in that coming day.