Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 HCSB
You often hear people say they want to live life to the fullest, they want to have no regrets. People say things like, “Life is short,” or “Live for today.”
When people speak of living without regrets, they often refer to something like skydiving or traveling or things on a bucket list. This refers to a list of things they want to do before they die.
Yesterday we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. He conquered sin and death. He gave His life so that we have eternal life with God the Father.
My friend, if you believe Jesus rose from the dead, then you must understand life is eternal. It’s forever. So, whether you get to do everything on your bucket list or not, there is one thing we must not fail to do. This is please Him.
In our Scripture passage, Paul is telling the Corinthians that their home is with the Lord. We are just passing through here on planet Earth. Life here is short, it’s temporary. But our eternal home is forever.
Paul goes on to say that we will all appear before the throne of judgment to answer for the good and bad things we have done.
Hebrews 9:27 says it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. There are two things we will all face at some point in our lives. This is physical death and judgment. Romans 14:12 says, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Our Scripture passage tells us that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged for what we have done in this life, both good and evil. Paul told the Romans in 2:16, “On that day, when according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
There is nothing we have said or done or pondered in our hearts that God doesn’t know about. We will be judged for these things. We are told in Matthew 12:36 that on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they have spoken.
The secret to having no regrets is living a life that is pleasing to Him. You see, while we may want to live life to the fullest here on earth, we need to understand that our fullness is in Him. We can’t be full until we have accepted Him as our Savior and have His Holy Spirit living in us.
My friend, if you don’t establish a solid relationship with your Lord and Savior while you live and breathe on planet Earth, you will regret it when you face the final judgment. Revelation 20:15 tells us that those whose names were not found written in the Book of Life were thrown into the lake of fire.
As long as you are alive here on earth, you have an opportunity to trust in Him. You have a chance to repent of your sins and ask His forgiveness. We are told in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When He does this, He removes the sin from us. Psalm 103:12 tells us He removes our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
My heart breaks for those who are unwilling to accept Christ into their hearts and lives and surrender to Him. Forever is a long time. When we face that final judgment God will determine where we spend forever. We must get it right here on earth before we die and face His judgment.
If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, it’s not too late. You can confess your sins to Him, you can repent, and you can trust in Him as your Savior. Then and only then can you face the final judgment with no regrets.
Have a great day!