Do you spend time with God and His Word as a top priority in your life? Or do you somehow find time to watch television, go to the movies, or do other things you want to do while failing to find time to saturate your heart in the Word?Ī good question we could ask ourselves is this: If God looked at our lives and measured what we love most by the things we give our time to, what would He say we loved the most in life? How you use your time is a great indicator of what you really deem as import- ant. But if God Himself gave His view of our spending habits, what would He say about us? Would He say that the propagation of the Gospel is the most important thing to us - or that our spending habits reveal that our own comforts are most important? We must be willing to allow Him to deal with us and then make changes as He lovingly touches those areas of our lives that need improvement. We can all mislead ourselves to think we’re more generous than we really are. What do my spending habits and my acquisition of personal possessions say about me and my character?ĭo you spend money on possessions that you know should have been used in the expansion of the Gospel in places where its voice needs to be heard? If so, what changes do you need to make? Since actions really do speak louder than words, it would be a healthy exercise for all of us to look at our financial giving and see what our giving reveals about our priorities. Prayerfully consider asking these questions for yourself, bringing them before the Lord so He can help you keep your heart aligned with His and walk in the light of His truth for your life.ĭoes your giving show that the Kingdom of God and world missions are still your heartbeat - something you deeply value? I know that I will give account one day for the way I truthfully answer the following basic questions - so for me, this is a meaningful starting point to help me regularly make sure my heart is right. I share them with you only to help you determine if there are areas in which you need divine assistance and change. I pray they are as helpful to you as they are to me. These are questions I regularly ask myself to keep my own heart open and pliable in the hands of the Holy Spirit. I’ve prepared the following questions to help you see areas of your spiritual life that may need attention. Since a day is coming when the truth will be revealed, wouldn’t it be better for you and me to take an honest look at ourselves right now so we can get things completely right in our hearts before that great day when we stand before Christ? The books will be opened and everything will be made known, including the motives of men’s hearts ( see 1 Corinthians 4:5). Paul used this word to emphatically warn us that a time will come when each of us will stand before Christ, answer for what we have done, and be rewarded or not rewarded accordingly. The word “judgment seat” is a translation of the Greek word bema, a word that described a n official place where judgments and rewards were rendered to those who stood before an official judge. The Judgment Seat of Christ speaks of the moment in God’s timeline when Christians will be rendered eternal rewards - or where they will discover that they have accumulated no eternal reward - according to their works in their lifetime. It’s important to understand that this is not the Great White Throne Judgment ( see Revelation 20:11), before which unbelievers will stand and give account to God for their lack of faith. Romans 14:10 says, “…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” And Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The Bible says that a day is coming when we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account for what we’ve done with His Word and with His plan for our lives. If we find areas that need improvement, the Holy Spirit will help us correct those areas that are out of harmony with Him. In light of this truth, it’s imperative that we frequently examine our hearts to determine our real spiritual condition. Only those things that were done for Jesus - in obedience to Him - will last for eternity. The fact is that soon everything in this world will pass away. …We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.įor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
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