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Oct 14, 2022 18:30pm

What Matters Most

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I opened my email and saw that grades had been posted. I wasn’t really too worried. For the most part, I had attended class, turned in work when I was supposed to, but of course, I didn’t really go above or beyond what was asked. I had a job outside of classes and was working until midnight most nights.

But there it was, staring me in the face, a C. Now, I know to some of you that might not be that big of a deal, but I had never had a C. Especially not in a class that I thought I was doing a good job in.

Immediately, I called the professor’s office. No answer. So, I emailed, demanding to know why I had received such a low grade, when it seemed I had been doing the same as everyone else in the class. Shocked, I received a quick response. She firmly and bluntly said, “you earned it”.

I quickly typed a reply, giving justification for any shortcomings, begging for extra credit, some way to at least raise it to a B. She explained I had all the time that was needed and the grade we all received was the grade we deserved. There was no extra time to try to do better. There was no way to go back and change what I had focused on. I was given the advice that next time I should learn to prioritize between what mattered most.

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16:26-27)

There is coming a day where Jesus will return and there will be a great judgment that includes everyone. This judgment will not only be for nonbelievers. Those who claim they have been saved will also be a part of this moment before God.

Our lives will be reviewed. For those that have never trusted in Christ, their destiny has already been determined and they will face the fires of Hell. For those that have accepted Jesus’s gift of salvation, their eternal place is in Heaven. But this judgment is more than just where we will spend eternity. It says he shall then reward every man according to his works.

Did you realize that what you do after salvation matters? What are we doing with the gifts the Lord has given us? Are we using those to serve Him? When the door opened or the opportunity was right in front of us, what did we choose? Did we serve ourselves or put Jesus first?

There will be many people in that moment asking why would God send them to Hell, and His response will be “depart from me, I never knew you.” They will get exactly what they earned and deserved.

And Christians, who have asked the Lord to save them, will stand there begging for more time, just one more chance to do better, but the Lord will tell them their reward is exactly what they earned.

As Christians, we shouldn’t do good things because of the rewards, and we certainly can’t earn salvation from them, but we should do them in response to the salvation that God has offered us. When we become a Christian, we told the Lord that we want Him to be our Lord and Savior. That means we bow humbly to His will and plan. But do we?

Far too many will accept Jesus, but never experience the true reward of having a close relationship with Him.

Just like that professor told me, we should learn to prioritize what matters most. Do not be sucked into the things of this world and miss out on the beautiful rewards of Heaven. God saved you for a purpose. He has gifted you and He has work for you to do!