I had always wanted a hand-held, electric power saw like the one I saw my dad using when I was growing up. But, there were always things more urgently needed, until one day a significant portion of our backyard fence blew over during a storm. I used the occasion as an excuse for purchasing a saw just like my dad’s. So, on a cold, windy day, after getting everything set up, I was ready to make my first cut with the new saw. My first pass went smoothly through the wood but was followed by an alarming spark and sudden loss of power. I had cut through the cord on my follow-through. What a sinking feeling! So much for the new saw! Since then, I have used the saw many times. But, the black electrical tape used to repair the cord is an obvious reminder to take a second look at the cord before making a cut.
One of life’s most haunting questions might be: “Why did I do that?” Have you ever asked yourself that question? If so, then you can probably tell your own sad story of an untimely mistake or ill-conceived action. “Why did they do that?” is a frequently asked question by those who watch “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” We enjoy laughing at the misadventures and mishaps of others who seem to have forgotten to think before acting.
While the thoughtless mishaps of life are often inconvenient or outright painful, the consequences of living without thought of the next life will be infinitely worse. This is why the Scriptures encourage sober-mindedness. Once a term related to the use of alcohol, the New Testament adapts the word to describe a state of awareness. A sober-minded Christian will be aware of lurking dangers posed by our enemy (1 Pet. 5:8); aware of present responsibilities (1 Pet. 4:7-8); and awareness of future judgment with the possibility of either glory (1 Pet. 1:13) or unending doom (Matt. 24:42, 44).
The apostle Paul reminds us that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). The most painful aspect of hell may not be its unending pain and separation from God, but its eternal regret–looking back on a life of unbelief and disobedience and being eternally occupied with the question: “Why did I do that?”
–Glen Elliott–