How did you live your life today?  It really does matter.  Our aim as Christians should be to live for God every day.  It is important to live worthy of our call because our lives impact others.  The world is watching us to see if we are practicing what we preach.  As letters from Christ (2 Corinthians 3:3), what kind of message are we giving to those who read us?

The influence we have on others is not the only reason it is important to live according to God’s Word consistently.  It is also important because there is an appointed time of judgment when we will have to give an account of ourselves to God.

Acts 17:30-31 (ESV)
³⁰  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹  because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

God has fixed a day when we must give an account of how we have lived our lives.  This day will not be changed.  The word “fixed” is “histēmi” and means, “to establish, confirm, or made to stand” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary).   We do not know when this day will come; in fact, not even Jesus knows (Matthew 24:36).  The only thing we know for sure is that it is coming.  This alone should motivate us to live our lives every day according to the gospel.

On this appointed day, all nations will be gathered (Matthew 25:32), and everyone will hear one of two things: “Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom,” or “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:34, 41).   Which words you hear will be determined by how you live your life.  There will be no mulligans on that day.  There will be no “take-backs” or “do-overs.”  The judgment will be final.

If you are thinking that you might get away with some unrepented sin in your life that God is unaware of, you are wrong.  The One you will stand before on that day is the Son of God, and He has eyes like a flaming fire (Revelation 1:14).  That symbolizes His penetrating view that will see into every crevice of our hearts.  He will know everything there is to know about all of us, and we will have to give an account of all our actions.  Paul put it like this:

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)
¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Never convince yourself that how you live is not important.  Do not be swayed by some false doctrine that says the only thing that matters is that you believe in Jesus.  The apostles had to combat this kind of thinking regularly.  It is why John wrote what he did in his first epistle.

1 John 1:6 (ESV)
⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

How did you live your life today?  If it were your last, would you be okay?

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.