Things are winding down here as far as the garden harvest is concerned, probably another weekend or two and we will wrap it up.

We have most of the canning done from the fruits brought in, peaches, apples and pears, what is left should be done in a day or two. 

With these shorter days and cooler nights it really does feel like fall – crisp morning air is just so nice this time of year.  I don’t hunt anymore, but getting out into the forest early in the morning and smelling the fresh air and pines – or juniper and sage brush depending on where I hunted, was one of the best parts of going out there. 

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

We have criminal laws that must be obeyed here on earth; laws that, if broken, have consequences.  The consequences range from fines to a sentence of death.  The process begins when an arrest is made, it continues with the appearance in a court room for a trial, and the consequence is incarceration, or some form of it, if found guilty.

Ever been in a court room?  While court rooms differ, most are set up so the judge is elevated behind a high desk, wearing a robe, and looking down on those that appear before him.  It is design so that the defendant is reminded he stands before a higher power that has the authority to make judgments.  It is design to demonstrate the judge is to be respected as he is the final authority on the law.

The judge is expected to strive for impartiality making sure that all the facts that can legally come into play are given fair treatment.  But the judges are human; they have biases and sometimes allow those to interfere with their decisions. 

In attempt to make sure that the judge’s decisions are legal and according to the statutes of the state there are appeals to a higher court which reviews the trial information and can either affirm the verdict or send it back for retrial, or find the defendant not guilty.

In the case of serious crimes, after the defendant has been found guilty, there is a time where the prosecutor and the defendant’s lawyer gather information, pre-sentence investigation, to help the judge determine what the sentence should be.

Included in the information will be past crimes and/or activities, the behavior of the defendant if incarcerated, how they did if they were on probation or parole.  The defense attorney will bring in witnesses to help make the defendant appear more affable and thus earn a lighter sentence – he actually is a ‘good boy’ and loves his mother and other such information.  All of these are mitigating circumstances that will help determine what sentence the judge should impose.

Sometimes the crimes are so heinous that the judge is quite angry with the defendant and will tell them in no uncertain terms what they think of them before they pass judgment and sentencing.  Going before an angry judge rarely turns out well for the defendant.

Judges have control only so much as the law allows them.  They can only impose those penalties set down by the law, although in capital crimes it can be life imprisonment or in some states, death.  But it is a temporal sentence, and cannot reach past the person’s death.

People can be incarcerated in a facility that allows them some freedom of movement – or one that doesn’t allow any.  They can be placed on probation without having to be incarcerated and as long as they meet the terms of the probation they will not go to prison.  If while in prison they behave themselves they may be released on parole and if they obey those terms they will not have to go back.

In most cases the judgment and consequences will remain on their record for the rest of their lives.  While there can be some purging of those records something always remains – witnesses, victims and others remember and will not forget.

God’s laws are clearer than man’s laws, they are in the Bible.  While the Old Testament had many requirements to obtain forgiveness, today we have one requirement, accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.  The consequences of disobeying that requirement is also clearer than the consequences of disobeying man’s laws, it is life without Him and being cast into a lake of fire.

Unlike the world’s courtroom, when we appear before God there is no trial, there is no mitigating circumstances there is no appeal.  It doesn’t matter if we have been ‘good’ and loved our mother.  

What matters is what we did with Christ.  If a sinner has not accepted God’s Son there will be no one there to speak on his behalf.   His entire life will be laid out before him, God knows it all, and the sinner will be reminded of all his sins. 

While, here in America, you cannot be required to testify against yourself, that is not the case in God’s courtroom, the sinner will see by the very life lived that he has testified against himself. 

The sinner will be shown all the times he had an opportunity to accept God’s Son and did not.  All the times he cursed others, all the times he persecuted Christians, all the times he held God and Jesus in contempt and up to ridicule.  It will be like a video program detailing every single detail, every single sin – large and small - of their lives and they will stand there in shame. 

No excuse will be accepted.

Then, God will give them His judgment and God’s judgment is for eternity.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19   Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

But through Christ we have forgiveness, we have been washed with His blood and our souls are refreshed and clean.  He has promised to forgive us our sins and not to hold them against us.

We will stand before Him free from our sins and thank Him for our salvation and the ability to live eternally with Him.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again