Keys to the Kingdom
Well, it happened again. While driving down a Missouri country road, I met a truck and a rock hit my windshield with a loud clink. The next day I made an appointment at D & J Glass to see what could be done. Dan promptly started the windshield chip-repair process and I was impressed with his expertise. John, whom Dan good-naturedly described as a loiterer, was sitting on a shop stool so I began shooting the breeze with him like my Dad would have done. I watched Dan get in and out of the passenger side of the Chrysler a few times, and things were going quite well. I could tell the repair was about finished, so I offered to just go ahead and pay. When I tried to open the driver’s door to retrieve my purse, it was locked. I quickly checked the rest of the doors and they were locked too…including the tailgate. I looked at Dan and said, “The doors are locked with both keys inside.” Dan’s calm response was, “I guess I did that,” and I softly replied, “Yep.”
I planted myself on the other shop stool and we all waited for Officer Burke to respond to Dan’s S.O.S. call. Within a few short minutes, the friendly cop arrived and brought in his burglary equipment. As soon as he stepped into the shop, I was shocked to hear Dan tell him, “I didn’t do it.“ I quickly said, “I didn’t do it!“ I really don’t think Dan did it, however, I don’t think I did it either. Both of us were simply relieved to be able to blame someone else for the pickle we were in. Honestly, I think the Chrysler got scared, freaked out, and locked itself. During this episode, I was especially grateful that no one cussed, kicked the tire, or cried.
As I prepared to leave, I told John, “I love funny life stories like this because I like to see what spiritual analogy I can get out of ‘em.” John simply replied, “I’ll be watching for it in The Tribune.“
One day, sooner than we think, you and I will stand flat-footed before Almighty God and give an account of our individual lives. There will be no blame game then. Jesus said, “I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you” (Matthew 12:36,37 NLT).
Because Jesus wouldn’t soften His words nor make His message more acceptable to His followers, many of His disciples left Him (see John 6:66). Jesus told the Jewish people gathered in the Temple, “My message is not My own; it comes from God who sent Me“ (John 7:16 NLT).
By inspiration of Holy Spirit, John the Revelator tells what will happen to all of us. “I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds….anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12,13,15 NLT). The Word of God is not just a philosophy of religion. It is the sobering truth that cannot be changed just because it‘s offensive to some.
The Key: There’s no one to blame but yourself if your name isn’t in the Book of Life.