“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12 (ESV)
The book of Revelation tells of the end of the world. It also describes Judgment Day. Part of the judgment before God during that great and terrible time is listed in Revelation 20:19. In that verse we are informed that all the dead are required to “be judged by what they had done” in life. They aren’t judged by their faith in God alone. Their decisions and acts and deeds and more are all brought forth. Depending on what is found, a person will receive eternal life in Heaven or damnation to Hell. What you do in your life, the promises that you make and keep, the actions and words you use to fulfill those promises are all binding on your future.
Romans 14:12, our scripture for today, carries this same theme. It, too, is a warning that every person “will give an account of himself to God”. Your actions and decisions and deeds and choices are all being recorded by God. Your faith will be examined. As a whole, these things will inform God’s decision at the end of days. It is very important that you realize today that you are responsible for your deeds and choices. You are responsible for the level of your faith and your commitment to God. You are responsible for the decisions you made in your life and the actions that followed. How responsible are you?
As the teacher of the second-grade class turned to the blackboard and began writing with her chalk, one of the naughty boys in back of the class pulled back a rubber band and let fly a spit-laden piece of paper right into the head of a girl in the front row. After her yell of surprise, the teacher turned around to find out what caused the commotion. The girl in the front row said she was hit by something. The teacher asked about the culprit. Several of the youngsters pointed at one or the other in the class. Two of the girls each named a different guilty party. All in all, the teacher could not pin the blame on any in the class. As she went back to the board to continue her writing, the guilty boy smiled to himself. He told himself he had gotten by with it. He hadn’t. God knew what he did. Also, the two boys on either side of the guilty party knew not to trust the culprit. Every action in life carries consequences. Even inaction can make you responsible for doing something wrong.
There are many reasons that people don’t want to take responsibility for things in life. Some don’t want to face the consequences, like our naughty boy in the second-grade class. Some don’t like having the pressure. There are those who don’t like being blamed if something goes wrong. On and on the list goes. People don’t like taking responsibility for their own actions, failures, consequences and so much more. But whether you like it or not, someone will be held responsible for every action and consequence come Judgment Day.
“Consider this story told by Bernard L. Brown, Jr., president of the Kennestone Regional Health Care System in the state of Georgia….
Brown once worked in a hospital where a patient knocked over a cup of water, which spilled on the floor beside the patient's bed. The patient was afraid he might slip on the water if he got out of the bed, so he asked a nurse's aide to mop it up. The patient didn't know it, but the hospital policy said that small spills were the responsibility of the nurse's aides while large spills were to be mopped up by the hospital's housekeeping group.
The nurse's aide decided the spill was a large one and she called the housekeeping department. A housekeeper arrived and declared the spill a small one. An argument followed.
"It's not my responsibility," said the nurse's aide, "because it's a large puddle."
The housekeeper did not agree. "Well, it's not mine," she said, "the puddle is too small."
The exasperated patient listened for a time, then took a pitcher of water from his night table and poured the whole thing on the floor. "Is that a big enough puddle now for you two to decide?" he asked.
It was, and that was the end of the argument.” (“Bits & Pieces”, September 16, 1993, p. 22-24).
You may not like the fact that someone is always responsible for each action in life. You may not be happy that God is watching and recording every move you make. Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter. God is still going to assign responsibility to your actions. So, what are you going to do about it?
Can God count on you to make responsible choices? Are you willing to stand behind your decisions? Are there some actions from your past that make you ashamed or regretful? Right now, you need to work through your choices in life. You need to work through with God and others those things that need to be rectified, atoned for, set straight, fixed. You still have time. Once you die, every action of your life is entered in God’s books. It is set it stone. Until the day you die, you can own up to your mistakes and sins. You can make right so many things.
What would make you more responsible in God’s eyes today? What decision from your past can you work through with God? What still needs to be forgiven before you breathe your last?
Romans 14:12, our scripture for today, carries this same theme. It, too, is a warning that every person “will give an account of himself to God”. Your actions and decisions and deeds and choices are all being recorded by God. Your faith will be examined. As a whole, these things will inform God’s decision at the end of days. It is very important that you realize today that you are responsible for your deeds and choices. You are responsible for the level of your faith and your commitment to God. You are responsible for the decisions you made in your life and the actions that followed. How responsible are you?
As the teacher of the second-grade class turned to the blackboard and began writing with her chalk, one of the naughty boys in back of the class pulled back a rubber band and let fly a spit-laden piece of paper right into the head of a girl in the front row. After her yell of surprise, the teacher turned around to find out what caused the commotion. The girl in the front row said she was hit by something. The teacher asked about the culprit. Several of the youngsters pointed at one or the other in the class. Two of the girls each named a different guilty party. All in all, the teacher could not pin the blame on any in the class. As she went back to the board to continue her writing, the guilty boy smiled to himself. He told himself he had gotten by with it. He hadn’t. God knew what he did. Also, the two boys on either side of the guilty party knew not to trust the culprit. Every action in life carries consequences. Even inaction can make you responsible for doing something wrong.
There are many reasons that people don’t want to take responsibility for things in life. Some don’t want to face the consequences, like our naughty boy in the second-grade class. Some don’t like having the pressure. There are those who don’t like being blamed if something goes wrong. On and on the list goes. People don’t like taking responsibility for their own actions, failures, consequences and so much more. But whether you like it or not, someone will be held responsible for every action and consequence come Judgment Day.
“Consider this story told by Bernard L. Brown, Jr., president of the Kennestone Regional Health Care System in the state of Georgia….
Brown once worked in a hospital where a patient knocked over a cup of water, which spilled on the floor beside the patient's bed. The patient was afraid he might slip on the water if he got out of the bed, so he asked a nurse's aide to mop it up. The patient didn't know it, but the hospital policy said that small spills were the responsibility of the nurse's aides while large spills were to be mopped up by the hospital's housekeeping group.
The nurse's aide decided the spill was a large one and she called the housekeeping department. A housekeeper arrived and declared the spill a small one. An argument followed.
"It's not my responsibility," said the nurse's aide, "because it's a large puddle."
The housekeeper did not agree. "Well, it's not mine," she said, "the puddle is too small."
The exasperated patient listened for a time, then took a pitcher of water from his night table and poured the whole thing on the floor. "Is that a big enough puddle now for you two to decide?" he asked.
It was, and that was the end of the argument.” (“Bits & Pieces”, September 16, 1993, p. 22-24).
You may not like the fact that someone is always responsible for each action in life. You may not be happy that God is watching and recording every move you make. Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter. God is still going to assign responsibility to your actions. So, what are you going to do about it?
Can God count on you to make responsible choices? Are you willing to stand behind your decisions? Are there some actions from your past that make you ashamed or regretful? Right now, you need to work through your choices in life. You need to work through with God and others those things that need to be rectified, atoned for, set straight, fixed. You still have time. Once you die, every action of your life is entered in God’s books. It is set it stone. Until the day you die, you can own up to your mistakes and sins. You can make right so many things.
What would make you more responsible in God’s eyes today? What decision from your past can you work through with God? What still needs to be forgiven before you breathe your last?