The Bible talks about a judgement that people who know Jesus will undergo (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc). This is often called the Bema seat judgement.

I didn’t look forward to this judgement.  It sounds like a…. Judgement.  My expectation is that this would be a lot like the performance reviews have I received at work. Commended for the things I already knew I had done well, critiqued for failures I was very aware of and regret. There would be a few minor surprises, likely critiques, but maybe wins.

I was never able to fully reconcile my experience with performance reviews and what the Bible describes as an era where no more tears would be shed (Rev 7:17, 21:4). Then I saw a one man show that changed my perspective and makes me look forward to this coming “judgement”.

Imagine a huge stadium that has all of the people who follow Jesus assembled. In the middle of the stadium is Jesus on His throne.  He calls the first person down. They come down, a bit nervous of what is going to be revealed.

Jesus asks:

Do you know what you did?

The person called down gulps and answers:

I am not sure?

Jesus then explains how the person blessed and impacted others.  As Jesus described what was accomplished, the crowd cheers, but even better the people whose lives were touched stand up in the stadium and shout

That was me!!  Thank you so much!

Often the person had no idea that what seemed like little acts on their part were life giving to others . Once Jesus finished telling the person all that was accomplished through them he calls up someone, likely someone the first person touched, and the process continues.

The first individual gets to see not only how their life touch people in ways they didn’t realized, but that there were even more people touched through downstream.

I look forward to learning how simple acts of love had ripple effects through many people’s lives.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)