OUR DAILY BREAD               Monday, December 19, 1994
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READ:  2 Corinthians 5:1-10

                REFLECTING ON LIFE'S END

             "We must all appear before the
                judgment seat of Christ."

                  - 2 Corinthians 5:10

I visited with Dr. M. R. DeHaan often during the last
few weeks of his life.  He talked freely about dying
as he looked back on his ministry and ahead to the
time when he would stand at the judgment seat of Christ
(2 Cor. 5:10).  I recall vividly on one occasion that
he pointed his finger at me and said in his gruff voice,
"Young man, it will not be long before you face the end
as I do now.  Keep this in mind as you serve the Lord:
We must all give an account!"

That was in 1965.  The intervening years have sped by,
and I have now reached the age Dr. DeHaan was when he
went home to be with the Lord.  I still enjoy good
health, but I realize that I'm in the evening of my
earthly life.  Contemplating the judgment seat of
Christ makes me keenly aware of my imperfections.  But
I find comfort in the many Scripture passages that
assure me I am forgiven and accepted because I believe
in Jesus Christ.

Unbelievers try to avoid thinking about judgment or
death, but both are unavoidable (Heb. 9:27).  But the
good news for those of us who have trusted Christ is
that His death, burial, and resurrection frees us from
sin's condemnation and death's power.  Now we can face
the end of life with serenity and hope.

    -- Herbert Vander Lugt

 For every vain and idle thought
   And every word I say,
      My soul a strict account must give
           Before the Lord someday.

    -- Anon.

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        THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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   Be sure you know Christ as savior
     before you face Him as judge.

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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  1 Timothy 4-6

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file: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db941219.txt

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