“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”—1 Corinthians 3:12-13
All believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of themselves to God. Let us suppose that every deed we’ve done since our conversion is turned into either a piece of precious metal or a piece of straw depending on the quality of the work. Then let us imagine that our works are torched so that when we stand next to Jesus, we will see for ourselves how fruitful (or unfruitful) we were in this life.
In fact, I’m told that a man had just such a dream. In it, Jesus took the man’s works and lit them. The fire burned brightly, and when it was over, he noticed that there were bits of metal that survived the flames. With a small brush he brushed all of these tiny and pieces of gold and silver into his hand.
What will Jesus be looking for on the day we stand before Him?
Evidently the precious metals represent qualities such as the joyful acceptance of injustice (Matthew 5:11-12), financial generosity (Matthew 6:19-21), hospitality (Luke 14:12-14), loving the unlovable (Luke 6:32-36), etc.
Let us pray that we all will have metals that will survive the fire.
Let Us Pray
Father, we pray that You will so purify our motives that we might bring You honor in the day that we’re judged by your blessed Son. Forgive us for piling up massive amounts of wood, hay, and straw that won’t survive the flames. Make us dissatisfied with the temporal; give us an irrepressible desire to see You glorified in our thought life so that all we do is a credit to Your redemption and love for us.
I pray for _______ that they might not live for themselves but for Jesus who redeemed them. I pray that they might desire to do well at the Judgment Seat for Your honor and glory. I pray that pleasing You might be more important to them than pleasing themselves. Let them grasp the fact that how we do at the Judgment Seat determines how much responsibility we will be entrusted with in the coming Kingdom. I pray for myself and all who are on my heart and mind…O God, give us hearts that desire only Your praise!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.