It Matters!

For the past couple of weeks I have been attending a bible study at church on the book of Revelation. It’s a Beth Moore study called, Here and Now – There and Then. If you’ve read this blog at all or know just a little bit about me, then you know I love Beth Moore. She is an amazing bible teacher and a woman who loves God with more of her being than any other person I have ever met. Do I know her personally? No. But her character, her attitude, her actions, her person, exudes Christ.

“By their fruit you will recognize them” – Matthew 7:16. Meaning by a persons character, attitude, actions, etc, you will know they are a follower of Christ. Wow. That’s a BIG example to live up to and I know I fall short every day. But, it also brings me to the title of my post today – It Matters!

It does indeed matter how we live our lives. We are called to be righteous and holy people, and God will surely judge our unrighteousness. The whole chapter of Psalm 119 reminds us that it matters how we live. Point blank. It matters!

Today, our lesson was on Revelation chapter 6. If you want the living daylights scared out of you, just read Revelation chapter 6. It’s on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and it basically describes end-time events and how it’s all going to go down. Scary with a capital S! Thankfully, I believe in the one true God. I know how it all ends and I know I will be standing in heaven when all is said and done. But, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still frightening when I think about these events in the context of our present culture and environment.

So what does Revelation chapter 6 have to do with how we live our lives today? It’s a reminder that Christ called us to live a certain way – for Him alone. If we choose to live any other way .. well, I just don’t even want to go there. We live in a world filled with sin. Even believers sin on a regular basis. There is just no way around it. But Christ knows our hearts and He is merciful to those who are earnestly seeking him with their entire being. For we all will be judged, but thank heavens for James 2:13 which states, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Time and time again, God give us the opportunity to choose Him. To choose Him over telling a lie. To choose Him over lashing out at our kids. To choose him over disrespecting our husbands. To choose Him over sex before marriage. To choose Him over a night of binge drinking. To choose Him over road rage. To choose Him over laziness. .. the list could go on forever. What it boils down to is choosing HIM, time and time again. 

Now, in the past, have I always chosen Him first? The honest answer to that question is no. That’s why I’m so thankful for James 2:13. Mercy triumphs over judgment. So, if you’ve fallen short of His glory (like we all have), you can choose Him today. Make a change today. Repent and choose Him, above all else. Choose to live your life, every waking moment, for Him and His glory. Not because of any rule book. But, because it matters. It matters how I live. It matters how you live. How we live now, chooses how we will live for eternity. That’s heavy.

The time has come
To stand for all we believe in
So I for one am gonna
Give my praise to You

Today today it's all or nothing
All they way
The praise goes out to You
Yeah all the praise goes out to You
Today today I live for one thing
To give You praise
In everything I do
Yeah all the praise goes out to You

All we are is Yours
And all we're living for
Is all You are
Is all that You are Lord

 

Hillsong couldn’t have said it better. “Today, today, I live for one thing. To give You praise in everything I do. The praise goes out to You.” It matters.