THE LAST PERIOD

Ever know someone who insisted upon having the last word? Which to me only is important if you never say anything again. However, I think the idea is that the person having the last word is basically saying, "Hey, I'm right."

At least that is my impression. And I also think such attitude is driven by pride more than anything.

The reality is naturally that God has the final word in all things. We just don't always remember that in our pursuit of our own agenda.

Unlike us, of course, God doesn't lie and when he says something you can be sure he will be faithful to what he has said. It is comforting after dealing with so many people who lie and never keep a promise to know that our Lord is different.

And to me the last period of life, the very last sentence of meaning will be the one spoken by the Lord. It won't matter what I think or say, it will only matter what the Lord said.

I do recall how the Lord warned that we would be accountable for every word we say, (I am paraphrasing naturally.) That for the believer is related to rewards and not judgment.

What I feel that relates to is the fact that only what we said that related to faith and praising God will have any value in eternity. This means every prayer and praise will be apart of the crown of dialogue the believer can rejoice over.

Which of course means that for a lot of people who spend most of their time complaining and uttering vanities their crowns will be very, very small if they exist at all. I'm not sure that is something that can be viewed as a source of rejoicing in eternity.

Hopefully, we do take the advice of the Apostle Paul and let only what comes from our mouths be profitable for edification. I doubt that will be the reality though.

Still, I am grateful for his bounty of grace. It covers all the stains of my tongue, which are far too many.

What a joy, what a source of praise to be able to stand before the Lord and have him show the times you spent using your tongue for the right reasons that gave honor and praise to him. What a tragedy to see the times, which are far too many when we didn't.

Quiet is the moment most sublime if we are listening with the voice of our hearts. Then our soul can sing the eternal song that will ring out forever.

It is often without being heard in this life where we are consumed by the clatter of our own thoughts. When we spend the time invested more in complaint than appreciation. Will eternity truly be heaven for some if there is nothing to complain about? It is a question each person has to answer for his or herself.