"ENCORE!"

[cimi]

THOUGHT SOME MIGHT LIKE THIS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ENCORE!"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the close of a stirring musical performance, an audience may cry, "Encore!" That's the crowd's way of telling musicians that they like what they've heard, and they want to hear more.

At the end of the day, after we have finished our work, eaten our meals, responded to all sorts of situations, and related to all types of people, can we imagine Jesus saying, "Encore! Encore!" to us? Would He want a repeat performance tomorrow?

This is not to suggest that He expects us to be perfect today and every day. He understands that we sometimes fail, that we need to work continually on our lives, that we are involved in a process of growth. But would He be pleased by the progress we are making in our dependence on Him, our willingness to take risks for His sake, our loyalty to Him, and our desire to be like Him? Would He like an encore?

At the end of our life's day, when we stand before Christ, the greatest words we could ever hear will be these: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:23). His highest praise will go to those who by faith accepted His gift of salvation and who continued to depend on Him.

Jesus is the Conductor of our lives. If we follow His lead, the "music" we produce will receive His "Encore!" now and a "Well done!" later.
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