If you have been taught that being a Christian when Jesus returns you are going to receive a reward and everything will be great from then on you may want to study the Bible further. Matthew 7:21 – 23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.”

Have you not been taught: all you have to do to become a Christian and go to heaven is accept Christ as your Lord and you will be saved? My intent is not to frighten anyone but to point out that much is expected. Christianity is not just about making a commitment and then living life the same as you may have always lived as the world lives. It requires repentance, a change in one’s heart and attitude, a lifetime of service and living by the teachings that Christ came to share what God’s Will was for each of us. If you believe that we can set our own standards to live by you have not studied your Bible.

Revelation 20:11 – 15 – “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

II Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

It talks about books. Most know that if your name is not in the “Book of Life” you will be thrown into the lake of fire at the time of judgment. There is a second book called the “Book of Deeds”. Scripture says your deeds are being kept tract of and there is continual writing taking place. As we are being judged the “Book of Deeds” will be opened. Every one whose name is in the Book of Life will receive their just reward from out of the Book of Deeds. We know that works will not save us but it indicates our relationship with Jesus Christ. We will be rewarded by how we handled our gifts, opportunities, responsibilities and were we accountable to God’s standards and rules?

If you believe that God’s gracious gift of salvation frees us from faithful service and obedience we may be mistaken. We must live each day realizing that what we say and do is being eternally recorded. Rev. 20:13b says: “each person was judged according to what he had done.”

We all have different temperaments and personalities. Some have gifts of preaching, teaching and healing. Many of us do not have these gifts. We will not be judged on something we do not have. If our background and temperament leaves us shy, fearful with little confidence we will be judged on what we have. God is loving and just. He expects nothing more than our best. Not all of us are seven feet tall and capable of being a professional basketball player. I would assume that our relationship with Christ and a humble, servant’s heart will get us adequate rewards. What Christ requires of me is probably different from what He will require of you. However, if you know, (and you can) that the Holy Spirit is in you, God promises us that our name is in the “Book of Life” and there is a recorder going on keeping an account of our actions. Not to condemn us but to reward us. When Christ told us our sins would be forgiven, those are deleted from the recording. I believe that just the good we do as Christians is what will be played at the Day of Judgment. If Christ recognizes us as one of His family we will hear nothing but the good. Let’s make sure that there are not an extreme number of deletions, of our sins, from that recorder.