I remember walking through a store with my Dad when I was ten years old (52 years ago!), and asking him what gift I could buy Mom for Christmas. He suggested a five - year diary. At the time, I thought that was an extremely unexciting present! I thought Mom would be much more pleased receiving a new fishing pole, or something like that. However, since Dad was paying for it, I went with his suggestion.
That began a tradition that continues to this day. Every five years, I buy my Mother a new five-year diary! In 1978, my wife and I were doing mission work in England when the fifth year rolled around. I purchased a diary in Birmingham, England and shipped it overseas to her in Indiana thus keeping the tradition going.
My Dad passed away in 1995, but my Mother, now 86, still enjoys reading through the old diaries and bringing to remembrance many of the good things that happened throughout the past fifty years. Many arguments have been settled by those diaries! When questions arise concerning the time or place of an event, my Mom just looks it up in her diary, and that settles it!
The fact is, each one of us are writing in a “diary” everyday of our lives, and God is reading it. As we are about to finish our personal 2011 diary, it would be wise to go back and consider how it reads (2Corinthians 13:5). What has Heaven recorded about your life during this past year (cf. Genesis 18:21). What has Heaven recorded about your zeal for the Body of Christ? (e.g. John 2:17). How many excuses has it recorded concerning why you couldn’t assemble to worship on various weeks throughout the year? (cf. John 15:22). We will probably “argue” with God on Judgment Day, but it will avail nothing, as Jesus explains quite potently in Matthew 7:21-23. God will “check our diaries,” compare it with His Word, and that will settle it.
We need to understand that it is not God who will judge us on the last day - - it is HIS WORD (John 12:48) - - God will simply issue the verdict and sentencing: “enter into the joys of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21), or “cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).
My prayer for you is “peace.” But genuine peace can only come from the “Prince of Peace” who is Jesus (Isaiah 9:6 w/ Luke 2:11). Jesus promises this unique peace to His disciples (John 14:27); it is a “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It is an inner peace that surpasses all the uncertainties of this world; but it can only be realized within the soul when one is following in the footsteps of Jesus (1Peter 2:21), who is the Word (John 1:1).
Diaries can be fun and enjoyable, but they can also have the opposite effect; it all depends on what is written therein.
- via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City Church of Christ, Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
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