How would you answer God right now if He asked you, “Why shouldn’t you be punished in hell and held accountable for all the sin you have committed against Me and others?”

There is only one answer that will satisfy the judge’s question: Because I believe in Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I trust Him to be the righteousness that washes away all the debt of my sin. This is the Good News: Christ provides rescue from the consequences of our sin if we accept Him. Pleasing the judge and being saved from our sin starts nowhere else but with genuine belief that Jesus Christ is our needed and confessed Savior.

For those of us who can confidently answer the question above and know we are forgiven of our sin, then the next question is “How are you using your life, body, relationships, time, money, gifts, and years?”

We are called to obey the Lord Jesus Christ and to serve Him, live for Him, represent Him, share Him, and grow in Him. The fact is that we are now free from the power and judgment of sin so that we can live for Christ and His glory and not our own. We have been given new life, so let’s use it wisely until we go to Him or He comes back. Jesus said, “If you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:39). Walk with Christ in a way that is both reverent and free in all that you do. Fix your eyes on the ultimate ­judge—­your coming ­Savior—­and joyfully share all the good that Christ has done through your life. He wants to reward and receive us with joy!