When we consider something to be special, we usually put extra time into it. If it is a birthday or anniversary, we make plans for the celebration in advance. The more special the event, the more time we spend planning. Weddings may be scheduled a year in advance, and the girl has probably been planning what her wedding will be like since she was a little girl. The planning is usually determined by the value we place on the event.
This leads me to ask the question, how much time have you and will you continue to put into the most important date you’ll ever have? The special date I am speaking of is when we will stand before God and give an account for the life we have lived on earth. This is one of those appointments that we will not miss. In Romans 14:11-12, we will each, as an individual, bow before the Lord and confess Him as Lord. It doesn’t matter if you have never bowed the knee to Him before, on that special day you will have no choice.
In Isaiah 45:22-23, we are told to look to Him and be saved. In verse 23, he has sworn by Himself or rather made an oath and there is no greater than Himself. Paul quotes the passage in Romans 14:11 when he says “as I live.” This is God swearing by His own witness that what He says will happen.
Isaiah 45:22-23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Romans 14:11-12 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So, then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God.”
For those who believe that Jesus was just a great prophet, and only believe in God the Father, there will be a great surprise. In John 5:22-23, God makes it clear that on that day, that appointment you can not miss, that the judgment of our lives has been given to the Son. God the Father and God the Son are to be honored as equal because they are.
John 5:22-23 “For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honored not the Son honored not the Father which hath sent him.”
How much preparation have you put into this day? The day you will stand before Jesus, the one who gave His life so you could have the opportunity to stand before Him forgiven and acceptable to the Father as His child? God has done all He could to help you to be ready by giving His Son to pay the penalty for your sins. He has sent the Holy Spirit to deal with your heart about your sins, to make you feel the guilt of your sins so that you will see the truth about yourself and repent. God the Son, Jesus, has done all He could by doing the Father’s will. The rest is up to you, but you must do it God’s way, not your own. You cannot do anything at all to change that appointment, you can only obey and make the outcome one of joy instead of sorrow for all eternity.
Have you taken the time to think about this appointment? If you are not saved, today is the day you can find forgiveness in Him. If you are saved today is the day you can surrender afresh and anew to purpose to live your life fully committed to Him. Study to get to know what God expects. Pray and find joy and comfort in His presence. While we put much time into making plans for the things we deem as important in this life, don’t forget or neglect to make plans for the greatest day of your life! These plans will last for all eternity.
II Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
