Skin of My Teeth

Father, thank You for an absolutely beautiful day! The sun is shining and it sure cheers the soul! Thank You for the wonderful gifts of creation!

1 Peter 4:4-6 (<<click here)

We are all guilty of doing things that we shouldn’t do. At least in this physical world, there are many things for which we are never held accountable. We get away with a lot. Sometimes they are things we do, words we speak. How many times would we be in big trouble if what we thought was out there for all to see or hear? Our spouse may not know all that we are guilty of or our boss or parents or friends or children and we think we are getting away scot-free but nothing could be further from the truth.

Every thought, every deed, every word, every glance…Lord, You know every single one of them! And there will come a day when we will have to face You and we will be judged for it all. And we will all be judged. We will be held accountable for our actions. And there will be no more excuses. We will be unable to blame anyone else. It will all be on us.

Those who have believed in You will find salvation in You…but we will still be judged for what we have done or haven’t’ done. We all build on one foundation – and that is You, Lord. No other foundation can be laid. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 tells us what will happen to the materials, with which we choose to build,

¹²Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. ¹³But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. ¹⁴If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

That last sentence makes me think of the phrase “by the skin of my teeth.” Of course there is no skin on my teeth but I realize that I need to be diligently working to things that will last for eternity. Material wealth, popularity are “wood, hay, or straw” and be “burned up.” Lord, when it comes time to stand before You my labors be made of “gold, silver, [and] jewels.” May what I do be worthy of Your name. Amen.

Feb 2^nd, Thurs, 9:26 am