Verse for the Week - Every Knee Shall Bow

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ~ Rev. 20:11-12 (ESV)

Comedian George Carlin died yesterday from heart failure. Known for his biting satire, Carlin seemed to become ever more vitriolic as he aged. Never one to avoid controvesy, he frequently addressed religious issues in a mocking and blasphemous way. Now, he is in the hands of the Almighty and will be required to give an account of his life, as will we all one day. Thinking of Carlin's life has caused me to reflect on the choices we all must make while here on earth and the reckoning we will one day face.

Ultimately, there is one thing for which we must give an account - What did we do with Jesus?

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ~ Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

Discernment

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. ~ Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)

The author of Hebrews was pastorally remonstrating his congregation for their lack of maturity. They had been Christians long enough that they should be able to teach others, but they themselves were still in need of remedial education. The telltale sign of spiritual maturity, he notes, is discernment. Blogger Tim Challies defines discerment as "the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong." The benefit of maturity via discernment is stability in life. Church fads come and go and self-proclaimed prophets rise and fall, but the spiritually mature person can distinguish between what to accept and what to avoid by testing everything by the word of God.