JUN 30, MORNING

Ecclesiastes 12:14
Memorise 2 Corinthians 5:1
“For God shall bring every work into judgment”

We come now to the very last verse in the book of Ecclesiastes. After spelling out man’s duty on earth in the previous verse, that is to fear God and to keep His commandments, Solomon now gives us the reason why we must do so. He tells us the motivation for fulfilling our duty, is because of the sure judgment of God. He speaks with a certainty, warning us that there will certainly come a day where God shall bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing that we do, whether it be good or whether it be evil. This is a warning that comes to both believers and unbelievers alike. We know that when we leave this earth, there will be a day of reckoning whereby we all have to stand before the throne of God, and give an account of all that we have done in our lives.

For the unbeliever, this place of judgment is the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20), where they will be judged according to their works. They will certainly not be able to meet the mark, for they are lost in sin, and their names are not written in the book of life. They will therefore be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. For the believer, the judgment is slightly different, for we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ as described in 2 Corinthians 5. Here, we are also judged according to the things which we have done, whether it be good or bad. All the things done in secret, be it secret sins or quiet good deeds for Christ will be revealed. However, we are assured that when we stand at this judgment our salvation has already been secure by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We no longer have to face the punishment for our sins, for that has been borne by Christ. The judgment here is in order that we may receive rewards for works which we have done for Christ. If we do not want to be ashamed at this day of reckoning, we will want to live our lives holy and acceptable before Him, that we may receive his commendation on the day of judgment.

Thus having a healthy fear of God and a good knowledge of His righteousness and judgment will certainly motivate and guide us to take heed of His commandments and keep them to the best of our abilities. There is certainly nothing better than to establish a right relationship with God, that that is the only lasting thing that we will have after our life on this earth is done. Anything else under the sun is vain and temporal and will be brought into judgment by God.

Thought: Judgment can be terrifying, but also rewarding. Which is it to you?
Prayer: Lord, help me to live with eternity’s values in view!