What is it that you have planned to say to Jesus the first time that you meet Him face to face, I am assuming here that you have given this at least a passing thought or two, you have had plenty of time to ponder this upcoming moment. I really do not think most believers do though, they may attend to the business at hand that He has set before them here in this life, some with great desire, others, not so much, they may pause occasionally to dwell on the glory that awaits us in heaven, but most generally I have found that those thoughts revolve around meeting loved ones who have gone on before, things they hope to be able to do and experience, but few give pause to this one moment in time, the one section of their existence that will not only show them the truth of who they were here in Christ, but of the rewards and treasures that await them.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9) “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11) These are just two of the verses of Scripture that come to mind when we give thought to the eternal, the finite mind cannot grasp eternity. There are as many “favorite” or “life-verses” as there are believers, and they should be of course more than just a phrase that runs through our minds occasionally, they should be applied, lived by, for it is here that the work lies, it is here we are earning our rewards, but in-between here and there, there is a moment, a very defining moment, the moment of truth, as it were.
I do not know where each of us will meet our Savior for the first time, I know He loves us deeply, and so I would believe it to be a place of comfort, perhaps someplace familiar that makes us feel at ease, not something overly glorious, if you will, for our entire being is to be focused on Him at that moment, after all, you are about to be judged. Not of course for your salvation, if you were not saved, you would not be at this point of your existence, you would be in hell for another thousand or so years, awaiting eternal damnation. “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer. 17:10) You are at this juncture to see if you have earned any rewards, if you have any treasure awaiting you, and you are going to be informed of all the blessings that you missed out on because you would not submit fully and completely. I do not know if we will be glorified before or after the moment He begins to speak to us, I do believe that we will have a perfect memory at that moment, we will not need to be informed of why we acted or did not act, we will not need an explanation of our sins of commission and omission, we will be known as we are known. (1 Cor. 13:12) I pray that you are not contemplating all the excuses you have an idea to give Him, but I also pray that it is not a time where you are in great fear.
There should of course be some trepidation, you are finally in the presence of the Creator and Author of all reality, you are standing in front of the only One who knows every single thing about you, nothing is hidden from Him, all will be revealed. Since we are human and quite aware of our sinful nature, the majority of us I am sure will cringe at this thought, for we tend to look upon the bad in us first, and those times we were blessed to be used for His glory, we recognize in great humility and humbleness of mind that we were unworthy to be used. This is the moment my friends, this is the defining moment of time for you, and you would be wise not to leave it up to chance, if you will.
Now is the time to change your perception of your first meeting with our Lord, now is not the time to jump into a bunch of works, it is not the time for pious overblown prayers, it is time to leave the world and all it has to offer, it is time to die to self. There should be nothing here you will miss, there should be nothing in this life that you are clinging to, not even your own life should be of any value, save for how it is being used for the glory of God, you have been crucified, crucified means put to death. Will you rejoice in that moment, will you cringe in fear, will you be elated or ashamed. Now is the time to figure that out.
