DEVOTION – DAY 216

2 Corinthians 5:10 “Judgment Seat Of Christ”

2 Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

The apostle Paul reminds us that every Christian will face a time of accounting when they have to stand before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus will judge all the things they have done, whether good things or bad things. This judgment will result in the amount of rewards the Lord will give to the person in eternity. This judgment is not to determine whether a person spends eternity in Heaven or in Hell. The judgment that Paul writes about in 2 Cor.5:10 above occurs when a Christian die and his or her spirit goes to Jesus when the judgment in this verse will take place. No Christian is exempted from the Lord’s judgment because this verse says “For we must all ….”, meaning everyone must stand before the Lord to be judged.

There are some Christians who think that since their sins have been forgiven by God because they have placed their faith and trust that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, they will never be judged. It is true that they will not be judged for their sins and be penalized. However, they will be still face judgment to determine how the Lord shall be rewarding them in eternity.

In 1999, Frank Houston, the Senior Pastor of Sydney Christian Life Centre, a church in Australia, suddenly resigned from his position and handed over the leadership of his church to his son, Brian Houston. Some years after his death, allegations became public that Frank Houston had been sexually abusing boys in church for a long period of time, and that he had to resign to cover up what he had done. Since he had died, no criminal charges could be made against him. But we know that he cannot escape judgment before the Lord. If what he had done is true, he would have to stand before the just Lord to give an accounting. It will be sad to see a lifetime of serving the Lord being tarnished by actions that bring dishonor to the Lord and had ruined many young lives.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that we will spend our days storing up treasures in heaven and not treasures here on earth. Please help us to resist the temptations of our flesh but purpose to obey you all the days of our lives. In the Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Questions

  1. Do you know someone who living his or her life as they pleased because they think that since Jesus has died for their sins, it is okay for sin once in a while? Share.
  2. How can you advise them in the light of this devotion? Discuss.
  3. How has this devotion caused you to reexamine how you should be living your own life? Discuss.
  4. Do you think it is important to have a lot of rewards in heaven? Share and Discuss.