“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” – Hebrews 9:27
It’s important to periodically remind yourself of how life works in this fallen world. Why? Because this truth lends urgency to the work Jesus assigned His followers to share life, hope, and good news through Him. Every person drawing breath today will die one day (unless Jesus returns first, which makes this work even more urgent!) Every person has but a limited span of life on earth. It could be a matter of years or a matter of hours – the truth is that we don’t know.
After that, each person will be judged. This is why sharing the Gospel should become very, very urgent in the heart of every follower of Jesus. Why? Because judgment is coming! For those who have heard and believed the Gospel, it will be a judgment based on God’s grace. It will be based on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins.
For everyone else – those who haven’t heard and those who haven’t believed – it will be a judgment based on what they actually deserve. It will be a judgment based on whether they lived a completely perfect life of holiness able to match the perfect holiness of God Himself. Of course, they haven’t. Nobody alive today has or could. That judgment will be terrible because it will result in every sinful person receiving what their sins demanded – for God to leave them alone as they are separated from Him for all eternity in suffering. It will be just. It will bring glory to God. But it will be terrible to see.
That is why everyone who has received God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ must be very, very serious about the work Jesus gave them. To explain the reason for their hope to this lacking hope (or hoping in the wrong things). To offer life to those facing only eternal spiritual death. To share God’s love to those under His wrath. To introduce grace to people who will otherwise be damned because of their works. If Jesus is your Lord, this is your task and it matters eternally to everyone you interact with! Share the Gospel and #FollowJesus!