It Matters

                It’s a fair bet that Meremoth, Jehoiada and Melatiah did not know they would be mentioned in a book called Nehemiah. It is safe to say that Uzziel, Rephaiah and Shallum never dreamed that for all eternity their names would be linked with the rebuilding of the wall surrounding Jerusalem. These people had no clue but it has been thought-provoking for me to read throughout the Bible where God tells believers that their works will be remembered as well.

                In both the Old and New Testaments, God calls our attention to the fact that what we do in our daily lives – how we work, how we live, how we talk, matters. Here are just a few verses:

Psalm 62:12 – “…and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Romans 14:12 – “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

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.”

Ephesians 6: 7, 8 – “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

                Thankfully as a believer, I will not have to answer for my sins, they have been forgiven and forgotten. I will have to answer for the life I have led after I became a child of God. How have I used the talents and abilities He has given me? How have I used His money? Did I tell others about Him? Did I trust Him when I didn’t understand? Did I obey His commands?  How did I treat other people? When I did a job, how did I do? Did I work for my own glory or for His?

                It will be a sobering day when I stand before my Savior and have to give an account. My daily prayer is that I will not disappoint Him.

Contributed by Lucy Kolean