Productive

2 Peter 1:8 (NIV)

If you have these qualities in increasing measure, you will not be productive in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the end of our time on earth, as we face our judgment with the Lord Jesus Christ, will the Master be satisfied with how we have lived? Did we turn the other cheek when the Holy Spirit instructed us to? Were we cautious enough to defend ourselves and our families in the face of evil? Did we go the extra mile when someone forced us? Were we forgiving and loving? Did we grow in patience, kindness, goodness, and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Or were we merely saved several decades ago and have stopped growing in the grace of God?

Before we die, would we be like Jesus Christ in character, holiness, love, and devotion to God? Or would we still be busy pursuing our earthly goals that haven't been consecrated to the Lord or approved by Him? Can we confidently say, like the Apostle Paul, that we have kept the faith, run the race, and have a crown awaiting us in heaven? Or would we be more like the thief on the cross who barely escaped the fires of hell without any reward in heaven?

These are questions that every Christian should ask themselves. As the Lord Jesus Christ rebukes all of us in Rev 3:16, we should be earnest and repent when we have not grown enough in the Lord or have risen to His expectations. We should be thankful that the Lord is rebuking us. Let us not quench the fire of His Holy Spirit when He rebukes us, but repent earnestly and be transformed by God's omnipotent power instantaneously.