I recently read a story about an engineer who was giving evidence in court about an accident he had witnessed.
Judge: "How far away do you think you were from the crash scene?"Engineer: "Twenty-seven feet, six-and-one-half inches."Judge: "That's amazing! But how can you be so sure of that distance?"Engineer: "Well, I knew some idiot would ask me. So I measured it!"
Wait a minute, who's the idiot here? Perhaps this would have been an amusing exchange between friends, but probably not such a great idea when talking to a person who has the power to throw you in jail without blinking.
Perhaps the engineer forgot that he was in a court of law- or maybe he spaced out what kind of authority a judge carries. Either way, this person definitely suffers from being what I would call 'consequence challenged': a condition where a person has no clue whatsoever of the potential results of his/her words and actions.
The Bible says that one day we will "all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies." (II Corinthians 5:10).
In other words, every Christian has an appointment to stand before the Judge of the universe. It would be a very smart thing to not be 'consequence challenged' that day, because the impact of our day in court will last for eternity.
If the engineer had realized what kind of person he was standing before, I'm sure he would have prepared differently...how about you? The difference is that you know what God is like, so start preparing today!
But just in case you need a refresher course- meet the Judge:
And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. (Revelation 1:13-17)
A little different than the wimpy white looking Jesus that Hollywood created-eh? Think you're going to run up to Jesus on Judgment day and jump in His lap? I seriously doubt it. As for me, I expect to do the same as the Apostle John: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead".
Having an eye towards that that awesome event just may be one of the most motivating factors in the Christian life.
Want to be ready? Start by getting to know the Judge by talking to Him all day long and listening to His Word. Get out of bed each morning knowing that today could be your court date, and you certainly don't want to be caught 'consequence challenged'!
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