Fast-Forward To The End

That’s all folks! Over! Done! Turn out the lights, the party’s over!

Hmmm…that day’s coming, you know—the day they turn out the lights on the party that has been our life. Some of us will get there sooner, some of us will get there later, but we will all arrive at that day some day. Whether sooner or later, the fact remains, that final day is near, nearer than you think.

And when that day comes, each of us will be the object of two evaluations—both important, but one more than the other.  The first evaluation is usually called a eulogy.  It will take place at a memorial service when one of our friends or a family member will stand up and give those who have gathered to mourn our passing a brief summation of our lives from beginning right up until the end.

I have often wondered as I’ve sat through the eulogy of a friend what they will say when my turn comes.

The second evaluation is far more important, of course. It will come at the end of time. It will happen for every human being who has ever lived on planet earth.  This assessment will come as we stand before Almighty God, the Creator of both the heavens and the earth and all that is contained therein—including you and me—when he will ask us to explain what we did with the breath of life allotted us from the beginning right up until the end.

By the way, we get to determine the end.  You see, the final page of our story is simply the outcome of the choices we make, the attitudes we hold, the words we speak and the actions we take during this life.

Now since that’s the case, I have two suggestions that I firmly believe will lead to a good ending for you and me:

One, choose Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life.  When you do that, grace—God’s unmerited favor—will cover your life from that moment until it is finished.  Then when you stand before him at the end, he will view the summation of your life through the lens of that amazing grace.  For that reason, those who choose Jesus do not have to fear the end.

Two, fast forward the tape of your life to the last act—to both the time when you will be the object of another’s words of eulogy as well the time you will be the object of the Almighty’s assessment—and picture what you want said of you.  Now, whatever you hope they will say then, rewind to the present and begin to live that way going forward.  Live with the end in view, so that the final assessment of your life will be true in your choices, attitudes, words and actions today

That’s all folks!

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Picture how you want your life to be viewed by others in the end—especially by God.  What do you need to change now to align your life to match that preferred outcome?