DBR Thought of the Day ~ How will you rate yourself? How will God rate you? Are you going to Heaven or Hell?

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11

One of my greatest sources of compassion for people comes from an eternal perspective. I look around at people in my life and people I pass by that I do not know and I wonder about their final destination. The Bible says the gate is wide and easy to Hell and that many will enter it. On the other side of that coin it says the gate that leads to Heaven is narrow and hard and that few will enter. It does not say it is narrow and hard but yet still many will enter. It says few. Did you know that the majority of the world when asked to rate themselves on any given thing, skill, appearance, ability would rate themselves 7 out of 10? Dig around the internet and you will find this to be true. It is wild because we all cannot be in the 70th percentile of everything, now, can we? It doesn’t work that way.

Did you know that 9 out of 10 Americans believe in God. Based on what the Bible says, few will enter, so how is it that that many people can be so wrong about God? Being a Christian and believing in the only true God grants me a level of peace and confident assurance in my salvation, however it also affords me a hard life. I hear pastors who say I can pray a good life and get good things here on earth, however when you look at Biblical examples that is just not true. They were tremendously blessed in their relationships with other believers, but outside of that they did not sit around eating grapes, with servants to cool them with fans, watching the court jester entertain them all day long. They did not sit around all day eating fast food in air conditioned rooms watching TV. They were persecuted.

When was the last time you were persecuted? When was the last time you went through a trial that you wished for death but knew it was not your time? I see us sitting around in our cush homes in Southern California and wonder if 9 out of 10 believe in God and we would consider ourselves an 8 or 9 our of a scale of 1-10 when it comes to our lives. They say the mission field is in other countries, but start looking around. The mission field is America. The church of Laodicea. The “Lukewarm” Church.

If you read the verse before the descriptions of the gates (see full text below) in Matthew 7 you will see the “Golden Rule”. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This comes right before telling us about the eternal outcome of the majority of the human race. So, here is my thought. The next time you are mad at your boss, or furious with your co-worker, or angry at your child, or resentful of your spouse, consider this: if they are saved, you are commanded to get things right, if they are not saved, this is the best they have. If they, for whatever reason, are not going to Heaven then cut them some slack. This world is the best they will ever know.

Let that angry woman at the check-out line go ahead of you. Hold the door open for that bitter man. Show your mean boss grace and build him or her up even when they deserve the opposite. Give them every courtesy you can in hopes that they may see a glimpse of God through you. Allow God to exact judgment. It is not your job. Your job is to be a light in this world because on that Day when Jesus comes, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – Matthew 7:12-14

Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:24)
Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)

~ Jen O’Sullivan
www.HolyJustLove.com