Every man and woman must decide whether Jesus will be their Lord today or their judge in the future. There are no other options. No one gets to create a third alternative. Jesus is Lord or judge; those are your only choices. That probably seems a bit narrow to you, and indeed it is. Jesus said few will choose the narrow path (Matthew 7:14).
Most will rebel against their perceived confinement to these two options and will walk away from the narrow path. The road they will choose is wide, free to be walked as they choose, but it leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The narrow path is a submission to the Lordship of Jesus, while the wide road is a destination ending with the terrifying judgment of God.
Who will you choose Jesus to be in your life, Lord or judge? The choice you make now will seal your eternal destiny. Don’t assume you can reject Him now and come back around to receive Him later. God may demand your life from you tonight (Luke 12:20). You may not wake up to face another day. You must choose now if you want assurance of eternal life in the presence of Jesus. I shudder to think of the throngs of procrastinators crowding the earth on judgment day. Don’t put this off. Your eternity is at stake.
Believing in Jesus will not cut it. The demons believe in Jesus and they tremble at His truth (James 2:19). There will be no demons in heaven, so don’t kid yourself into thinking things will work out for you because you believe in Jesus. They won’t. To proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life and to live out that proclamation is the only decision that will keep you alive. It’s a decision you will not make unless you love the Lord with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul (Mark 12:30). There are countless nominal so-called “Christians”, but there are no nominal disciples. Those who bow their knee to the King of kings are serious. Their commitment to the Lordship of Jesus is sincere.
You can remain the focus of your life, but you will not escape the judgment of Christ. Your choice of what to do with Jesus in this life is the single most important decision you will ever make. Embrace Him and live. Reject him and die. But understand this death is not what you see in the movies. It is not simply that you will cease to exist. The soul God created inside you is eternal. You do not die when your earthly shell ceases to function. You will go on forever. The only question is, will you be in paradise with Jesus (Luke 23:42-43; John 14:1-3) or burn in Hell, forever separated from the cool and loving touch of the Savior you rejected (Luke 16:19-31)?
Jesus is Lord of all Heaven and earth (Philippians 2:9-11). That is an unchangeable truth. Yet, in His desire to allow you the freedom to accept or reject His love, Christ allows you to choose whether He will be Lord or Judge in your life. You get to decide. He will not force His decision on you. But know the decision is already made. Jesus is Lord whether or not you choose to accept and live for Him. If He is not your Lord, He will be your Judge. The time to decide is right now. Will you have Jesus be your Lord or Judge?