As God's Word avows in Proverbs 27:17...as...
On Page 262-263 he recounts that during his NDE he...
"...discovered that patient, true love and the so-called little things we do for others are what really matter..."
Storm was shown a review of his life much to his chagrin and embarrassment by the 'remake'. He realized that what he valued was not what those "brilliant beings", who were surrounding him and showing him his 'movie-of-life', placed value on.
He goes on to say...
"I could feel their feelings of sorrow and suffering or joy, as my life's review unfolded. They didn't say that something was bad or good, but I could feel it. And I could sense all those things they were indifferent to. They didn't for example, look down on my high school shot-put record. They just didn't feel anything towards it, nor towards other things which I had taken so much pride in."
That, versus this:
"What they responded to was how I had interacted with other people...Unfortunately, most of my interactions with other people didn't measure up with how I should have interacted which was in a loving way."
"...most of the time I found that my interactions with other people had been manipulative..."
Another chap, Dave by name, relates on Page 270 that...
"...getting ahead, being successful, making it big in business or politics or in a profession, making a lot of money, achieving high rank--are just chaff that the wind blows away. What really counts is what you did for others--how much you loved beyond yourself--how much you really loved and how well."
> I would go one step further and say, what counts even more is what we do for Jesus Christ after all He's done for us. When we live to please Him, then our actions and love towards others will develop and tend to be more like Christ's and therefore satisfying towards others.
This is what the crux of Christian living is all about!!
When we are followers of Jesus Christ, children of God, our character and actions will be motivated aright, oiled and fine-tuned by God's unconditional love, even towards those we may deem unlovable. By God's grace we can live by grace too to love our neighbor as we love ourself.
As intimated in an earlier entry of this On the Doorstep, But Don't Get to Enter series, God loved us just the way we are (at point of salvation) but refused, out of His love for us, to leave us that way. That two-sided coin of justification and sanctification; justification being the former, "getting saved" while sanctification is the latter, and a process in which we become "holy, as God is holy" (1 Peter 1:13-15)--this takes the rest of our earth life to work at.
Dig into God's Word, especially the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There you will find a bountiful harvest to feast upon of how Jesus lived, behaved and interacted with others characterized by humble meekness, love and care. He is our perfect example and role model. I suppose that is why we sometimes get called "followers of Jesus". Imitate the Leader.
And thank God, primarily for His Holy Spirit Who convicts us of our short-comings and prompts us to rectify them. At times God also uses our brothers and sisters-in-Christ, family, friends, etc to bring them to our attention. God dispenses His love and grace and strength to us so we, in turn, can be more like Him and can give to others. These are well-pleasing, not just in the "brilliant creatures" sight, but of more infinite importance, in the sight of our Creator God, the most Brilliant of all, Himself.
And then we can look into the mirror with humble confidence, that He still loves and forgives us our trespasses and failures when we confess and repent of them; that is the awesome truth. Look sharp!
What does your life-review look like?
~ERC 2017~
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