Send to Kindleby James Collins
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5
Did you know the Bible says when the Lord, Jesus Christ, returns, He is going to make your secrets known? It’s true. God knows every secret. He will make them known.
I have a secret. I am going to tell it right here and right now. You don’t have to wait for the Lord to return to learn this secret about me. I am going to tell you a secret about myself. I’m going to tell you something that will shock you. I know this will be hard for you to believe. I know this will stun you. I know this will shock you. Here it is: When I was a little boy; I was the orneriest kid in the family. I know that’s hard to believe, but I was ornery. I got into more trouble than any other kid in our family.
When I was in the fourth grade, my ornery streak came out in school. I absolutely hated doing math. I didn’t study or do my homework. I hated math.
My fourth-grade teacher was Mrs. Martin. She would grade our homework and pass it back to us. All my math papers had a bad grade written on the top. Every time Mrs. Martin would put a paper down on my desk with a bad grade, she would say, “James, it’s coming. James, it’s coming.” Occasionally, she would even write on the paper next to my bad grade, “It’s coming.”
When Mrs. Martin said, “It’s coming,” I never understood what “it” was. I didn’t pay any attention to her the entire six-week grading period until “it” finally came. Mrs. Martin laid “it” down in front of me on my desk. “It” was my report card. Written on my report card was a big “F.” To make it even worse, the “F” was written in red. It stood out. To make the “F” stand out even more, Mrs. Martin had written a note in the margin out beside my big red “F.” The note said, “James does not try to do his math. He has not handed in any of his homework for six weeks.”
When I saw that red “F,” I had two thoughts. First, “F,” stands for father! Poppa is going to kill me when he sees the red “F.”
My second thought was the “F” was red. Red is what color my behind is going to be when Poppa sees the red “F!”
That afternoon, I got off the school bus and walked up our driveway. I heard in church Jesus was coming again. So, I stopped in our driveway and prayed, “Jesus, now would be a good time for you to come!”
I didn’t want to go in the house, but I couldn’t stay outside forever. Eventually, I had to man-up and go inside. I went in and handed my report card to Poppa. When he got through with me, I never made another “F” again…
I was not ready for “it.” To tell you the truth, I didn’t understand “it” was coming. I was not prepared for “it.” The good news for me was for the next six-weeks, I could do something about “it.”
One day, Jesus is going to come. Then it will all be over.
The point is: Jesus is coming, and He will make all your secrets known. If Jesus were to come today, would He find you faithful? Do you know Him as your Savior and Lord? Are you living for Him?
The good news is that you can do something about it now. Jesus has the power to give you eternal life. He has the power to forgive your sins. He has the power to save you from hell. Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don’t get a “F” on your final exam.
James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. Find out more about his ministry at www.thepointis.net.