Day 64
Imagine, we are in heaven before Jesus. We see the huge video screen showing the lives of famous Christians. We imagine some of the videos, clip after clip, filled with amazing heart wrenching stories of christians and their good deeds! It's those guys. The ones who always manage to humbly, with extreme modesty put us to shame. And now we have to watch all their courageous deeds on a Blue-Ray disc in High Definition. We mask our disappointment, our humiliation with serious, yet stretched smiles across our faces. This is heaven and we are suppose to be happy for one another, right? But this is not going well. We are not being featured.
Wait one minute, just stop! This is simply not how it is going to be. Those moments will be consistent with what scripture has revealed. Where did we come up with this awful idea? We have all thought this. We think of the video being played and sometimes it has actually kept us from grave mistakes. (yeah, intended) But there will be no such thing!
Why is this impression, or view of the moments before Jesus inconsistent with scripture? From what I have gleaned, and you will agree, your good works are none of my buisness! What you do and what I do is Christ's business. If you are not to tell your left hand what your right hand is doing then what sense does it make to come to heaven only to see this reversed?
Jesus does the good works. There is no need to tell the left hand what the right hand is doing because it is so trivial, so unimportant, so mentally ill. It is an exercise in futility. No one is listening to me while I rattle on about my good works. They know I am blowing my own horn. Equally, no one is paying attention when I modestly rattle on about my good works. It would be like speaking with you about my breathing habits and patterns. No one cares because they know I am not the one to give myself breath. We breath because God has given us another breath to live this very second. There is nothing different when the subject turns to good works.
All of our good works are laced with stink, smell, and motives that would shame us. Have you forgotten why you are allowed into God's presence? Because Jesus has said to you, "I've got you covered!" Jesus makes it possible to be in God's presence. All of our good works are perfumed, infused with grace and mercy, aka, Jesus. This is why it is so uncomfortable to receive compliments regarding what you have done. You feel like a poser, your spirit knows that something enabled you to go above and beyond yourself. This is why the pathetic person rattling on about his good deeds at the end of Matthew seven hears the deadliest words ever, "I never knew you!" He referenced himself with his good deeds and good deeds should only reference Jesus, the only true good deeder.
Who is to increase? Yes, Jesus! He increases and we decrease. Our aim is to run to Him, to refer to Him. It is all about Him. Who gave us this faith? Jesus. Who keeps us in the faith? Jesus. Who finishes our faith? Jesus. We have done nothing. There is nothing we can do. Why would there be a video featuring our good works at the end? This would mean we are in the wrong heaven or maybe even, HELL.
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