I’ve been reading this book about people that had a near death experience (NDE). The book is called Imagine Heaven by John Burke. It’s really a wonderful book about what to look forward to when life on this earth is over. I highly recommend it. It basically shows you what people who have had near death experiences witnessed in their trip to heaven. Every single one of them who had seen heaven desired to stay there. They came back because they still have work left to do, and they feel the need to do it. Many of them encounter what’s called a Life Review. It’s when God would show them their life from the moment they were born until the time they’re standing before Him. This is what causes them to return. Many of them realize they’ve not done what they need to do for God. God asks them this same question again and again, “What have you done for Me?” Or, “What have you done with the life I have given you?”
Practically every single person that has had the near death experience comes back changed. Whatever it is that they feel they need to do, they go and fulfill it. So this has gotten me thinking about my life. It’s not really something I want to do. But when you read a whole book about life after death, and read testimonies of people seeing God and being questioned by God about what they’ve done with their lives, you can’t help but wonder about your own. So I’ve come to talk with God about this. I’ve said to Him, “Give me my life review now. Show me what I’ve done and what I need to be doing.” Because you know what? I don’t want to have a near death experience before I do something about my life. I don’t want to have to see God face to face and cringe over my life. I want Him to show me now how I’m doing and what I need to do. Then I can ask Him to help me accomplish what I need to do in this life for Him.
It’s a pretty courageous prayer. It does take courage to do this, to ask God to give me my life review now. What happened was that I started to see the things I’ve done that I’m not very proud of. I started to see what I still need to do. You know what these NDE people say? They say that relationships matter most to God. That how we treat people here on this earth is what matters to God most. There was this pastor that had a big church and died during an operation. He saw himself hovering over his body by the ceiling, and God was hovering with him giving him a life review as he watched the doctors frantically trying to revive him. God was asking him did he know his children’s friends? Did he know their names? He couldn’t answer God. He was so busy with the church work and being a pastor that he didn’t even take the time to meet his children’s friends. He didn’t even know their friends’ names. God was clearly showing him this mattered. God showed him he was spending so little time with his children that he didn’t even know their friends’ names.
The Bible tells us,
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? {1 John 4:20}
That’s the thing. It’s easy to say we love God, but to really show love to the ones that are near and dear to us is another issue. I have to admit it, I’m not very good with this, especially with staying in contact with people. Truth be told, I get overwhelmed when I spend too much time with people and hanging out with friends. Sometimes I find it a waste of my time. I have so much stuff to do, and I feel like I can’t be wasting time hanging out. Of course, you have to be wise with the people you hang out with too. You don’t want to be with company that doesn’t lift you up and uphold you and your values and principles, especially if they take you away from your relationship with God. Ultimately your relationship with God trumps your other relationships in this life. (See my previous Blogpost: To Be Worthy Of Him) But apparently, fellowshipping and nurturing our relationships with one another is very important in God’s eyes. It really is true what He said, that we must love one another, for he that loves his brother loves God. (1 John 4:21) The Bible tells us:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. {John 13:34}
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. {Hebrews 10:25}
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. {Acts 2:42}
There was another NDE who thought his life was pretty amazing and he didn’t have time to do anything else but to pursue his career. He was a professor in college and was the chairman of a board in the university. He was a pretty big wig. But he died and met the Lord. He actually went to hell first and was tortured by demons until he cried out to God for help, and Jesus came and took him out of there. He had a life review and the angels showed him the events in his life as Jesus lovingly held him. There was a point in the “movie” of his life review that showed him accomplishing great things in his profession. He was pointing that out to the angels, how he did such an awesome thing and received this award and that award, etc. He was saying to them, “What about that? Look what I’ve done!” But they told him that those things didn’t matter in heaven. The accomplishments that this professor thought were so important meant nothing before the angels and before God. What mattered to them was how he treated people. How he treated his wife and his children and his students. Needless to say, he didn’t do very well in that category.
How about you? Do you have something in your life that you might want to start talking to God about? Do you have something you might want to ask His help for, so that He can help you change the course of your life to something that you will not be ashamed of when the time comes for your life review?
It’s a pretty unnerving thing, this life review. But I would rather face God in my prayer time with Him and have Him give me my life review now. Then I can turn around and ask Him to help me change myself, and get on the road that will be pleasing before Him. Perhaps a little discomfort now in facing my shortcomings will help me to be happy in the end. I surely cannot do this on my own. I cannot change myself. I find that the older I get the harder it is for me to change my personality and my likes and dislikes. I find I am getting more and more set in my ways. That’s why this life review with God is so important, so that He can help me. I know He will help me to change the things that need to change, so that when I do one day meet the Lord he can say, “…Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” {Matthew 25:21}
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. {Ephesians 4:32}
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. {1 Corinthians 2:9}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, my Father in heaven who loves me so much that He gave His life for me, I thank You with all of my heart for Your grace and boundless love towards me. I thank You for dying for my sins and giving me life everlasting with You today.
Father, I know I am not perfect. I know there are things in my life that we seriously need to work on together. I pray Lord Jesus Your help upon me concerning these things. I need You to help me to love the people that are with me and even those that are far away from me. Help me also to forgive those who have hurt me and have been unkind to me. As You have generously forgiven me of my sins and have taken my shame away, please help me to also do the same for others. Help me to watch what I say and do and even think and imagine in my heart about others. I know I have hurt people one way or another in my lifetime, please comfort them for me and heal them for me. Take away any bad feelings in their hearts concerning me. I ask also Your forgiveness upon me regarding this and if I can make amends please help me make them. Fill my heart with love. Help me to love the way You desire for me to love, because I cannot do this on my own. I need Your help. I pray this Father in Your most wonderful and gracious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
#repost4/2019
