By Israel Oladele
A man died and saw God coming closer with a suitcase in His hand. God said: “Alright son, it’s time to go.”
Surprised, the man responded: “Now..? So soon…? I had a lot of plans…” But God said: “I am sorry but it’s time to go.”
Israel Oladele
“What do you have in that suitcase…?”
“Your belongings.”
“My belongings…? You mean my things – my clothes, my money…?”
“Those things were not yours; they belonged to the earth.”
“Is it my memories…?”
“Those never belonged to you; they belonged to time.”
“Is it my talents…?”
“Those were never yours; they belonged to the circumstances.”
“Is it my friends and family…?”
“I’m sorry, they were never yours; they belonged to the path.”
“Is it my wife and son…?”
“They were never yours; they belonged to your heart.”
“Is it my body…?”
“That was never yours; it belonged to the dust.”
“Is it my soul…?”
“No, that is mine.”
Full of fear, the man took the suitcase from God and opened it just to find out the suitcase was empty.
With tears coming down his cheek, the man asked: “I never had anything…?”
God answered: “That is correct, every moment you lived were only yours.”
Life is just a moment. A moment that belongs to you. And for this moment we shall account.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done.”
Now, imagine going to work one day and being greeted by your boss, who says, “Come to my office at 9.30am; I’d like to talk to you about how you’re doing on the job.”
This could be a nervous time for you as you think about what your supervisor might say.
You wonder: how does my boss think I’ve been doing? Could there be a promotion with a pay increase? Or could I lose my job? Am I going to hear, “Well done” or “You’re done”?
As important as this kind of meeting is, the Bible speaks of another far more significant review.
After this life is past and the moment is gone, we will stand before our Lord.
We will not enter that future evaluation fearful of losing our salvation, nor will we desire personal benefit or human approval. Instead, we will be eager to hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21).
The challenge before us as followers of Christ is to serve Him with excellence now, so that we can hear His words, “Well done” then. The excellence of His service works righteousness. The righteousness God values is more than refraining from sin; it is actively turning towards others and offering them the help they need.
If we ever are afraid of the future, eternity, or God’s judgment, we can remind ourselves of God’s love. We know that he loves perfectly. We can resolve our fears first by focusing on his immeasurable love for us, and then by allowing him to love others through us.
So, why should we seek any other step or want to customise a different approach to a fulfilled life?
Jesus teaches that the good and fulfilled life has nothing to do with wealth. This is the exact opposite of what society usually says. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more of their products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, more comfortable. How do you respond to the constant pressure to buy? Learn to tune out expensive enticements and concentrate instead on the truly fulfilled and good life – living in relationship with God and living as a blessing to others!