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The Poem
I knelt to pray but not for
long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book,
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time."
~author unknown~
First, let me make it perfectly clear I firmly believe
that our salvation is by faith alone John 3:16 but
recently I have had a tug at my heart from many different
directions. Although I believe it's our faith and/or
belief in the Lord that gives us life eternal in Heaven I
also believe that what we do here on earth will play a
big part in our eternal life in Heaven. What we do NOW
matters THEN. If you are a lukewarm Christian I beg you
to please read the following scriptures. There are many
more scriptures which support my belief but have only
shared a few here - I encourage all to search the bible
yourself, spend some dedicated time with the Lord, and
look at your life here on earth and in eternity.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
But then please look at the very next verse…
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and
when they shall separate you from their company, and
shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for
the Son of man's sake.
Next verse…..
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold,
your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner
did their fathers unto the prophets.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory
of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come
and follow me.
Luke 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot
recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the
resurrection of the just.
Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all
those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our
duty to do.
John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they
honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son
honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
2 Corinthians 5:10 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.
What will we be rewarded
for?
1) Seeking Him through spiritual
acts. Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into
thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly.
2) Submitting to Him as a faithful steward - Matthew
24:45-47 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say
unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his
goods.
3) Self-denial in His service - Matthew 16:24-27 Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall
come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then
he shall reward every man according to his works.
4) Serving in His name - Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall
give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye
belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not
lose his reward.
5) Suffering in His name - Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are ye,
when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you
from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out
your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye
in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward
is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their
fathers unto the prophets.
6) Sacrificing for Him - Luke 6:35 But love ye your
enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the
children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the
unthankful and to the evil. Matthew 19:29 And every one
that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my
name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall
inherit everlasting life.
7) Sharing - Matthew 6:3-4 But when thou doest alms, let
not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That
thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth
in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 1 Timothy
6:18-19 That they do good, that they be rich in good
works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against the time to come, that they may lay hold on
eternal life.
I am guessing pretty much every Christian in the world is
familiar with -
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
How many of us remember -
1 John 3:16
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Are you a "lukewarm Christian"? Attending
church every week or so, secure in your Salvation and
life in Heaven for eternity. When is the last time you
laid down your life for a fellow Christian? Or for that
matter anyone but yourself? Are you in God's Word daily,
searching Him? Are you; Seeking Him, Submitting to Him,
Denying yourself in His service, Serving in His name,
Suffering in His name, Sacrificing for Him, Sharing? If
you answer no to any of these you may want to search
yourself and the scriptures and decide are you going to
remain a "lukewarm Christian" or are you going
to start stocking up those rewards in Heaven?
When you are standing in front of our judge,
Jesus Christ, will you hear the words
"Well
done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord." ?
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