Tried By Fire

We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where our works will be tried by fire. Tragically, nothing we do, good or bad, will survive the heat. If that were the entire story, we would all be condemned. But that is not the entire story. God executed the perfect plan of redemption through the sacrificial obedience of His Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. All who put their faith and trust in His works will be judged by the grace and mercy that poured from His wounds on Calvary. It is His works that will justify us on the day of judgment. Our goal is to appear before the judgment seat with nothing but the testimony of Christ’s finished work in us. It is His work in us that will withstand the fire and suffice as evidence of our righteousness. We must seek to lose ourselves in Him until all that remains is the perfected love of God by embracing the flames of sanctification in this life. Developing faith through the refining fire of tribulation in this life will be well worth the reward of approaching the seat of judgment as one who is no longer dead in sin but alive in Christ. What hurts today will be forgotten for eternity when we hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." From this day until our last, let all of our works and our suffering serve one purpose: to manifest the completed work of Christ in us that bears the fruit of our freedom to glorify God and enjoy His presence forever.

Lord, lead me to Calvary, where I can join You on the cross. Leave no part of my life untouched by the cleansing power of death to self. Allow Your grace and mercy to be the sole witnesses speaking on my behalf on the day of judgement. Complete Your work in me so that I can rest in the assurance of salvation based solely on Your life, death, burial, and resurrection.