If Jesus was right, and I really, really believe He was right – and is still right – the part of life we have after we exit this life is by far the most profound and most important part. What we do in this life is the set up for what happens there. You see this in every single thing Jesus said and in pretty much every story He ever told. The shocking reality for pretty much everyone in our world is that there is an exit interview scheduled for everyone – and we don’t know when it is – and Jesus is the One who interviews. For people who have experienced injustice, the fact that everyone is accountable brings comfort. For people who have undergone willing, intentional self-denial and put their comfort on the line so that others could be comforted – it’s amazing to think that God sees it all and the reward absolutely dwarfs the sacrifice! Your exit interview…my exit interview can be amazing. The promise of what Peter says here is that our lives can be productive and effective and useful! With the power of God, we can see the lives of people we love – and even people we don’t know, be changed for all eternity. When we cross the finish line, our welcome into the Kingdom – and the celebration of people touched by our lives can be astounding. Or NOT! We choose – and now is the time to make that choice!

I have never met a person who wants to wreck their lives, do a faceplant, go down, humiliate themselves, or get featured in tabloids. Those who do experience one of the most painful feelings ever: Humiliation; Regret. Regret is rear view mirror stuff. History. The great news of Jesus and what He’s done for us makes it clear that we get a do-over. Jesus called it being born from above.  Forgiveness and grace is a promise! There’s a promise that goes with that. God is able to keep us from falling. And Peter tells us what the building blocks for that kind of life are. It’s life where we finish well. It’s a life that impacts others – that, in some way, changes the world for the better! If that’s what you want, then you’ll need to search your life for these characteristics Peter lays out.

As some of you know, I watch the show Mayday! When there is a crash, the airline industry uses a word for people – that just doesn’t get used much anymore in our world: Soul. “How many SOULS were lost?” That is a profound word, isn’t it? The implications are that we are not just animated bodies. There is way, way, WAY more to us – a forever part. In a selfie world like ours, people think mainly of themselves and their own interests and welfare. Sometimes we talk about influence as if it’s something we can turn on when we want to show off a little – and turn off when it’s convenient. Actually, if you look at the dashboard of your life, the influence light is always on. If you live and die on a desert island, it doesn’t matter, I guess. But if you have people around you – especially children or people you’re responsible for, your character – that is, how you live your life, how you respond – you will likely send those closest to you in one of two main directions; up or down. You’ll either help them or hinder them. To put it in Mayday terms, You have souls on your plane. Fly carefully!

One of the first things people do when they’re confronted with a faceplant – with moral failure – with something they’ve done that’s humiliating, is make excuses. We know this because we’ve all done it! “See, I have this inner pain because my parents…” “Well, I have unmet sexual needs because my wife…” “Well, I experienced abuse as a child, so I…” “I’ve always been attracted to…” “See, my Daddy was an alcoholic, and…” All of those things may be true – and painful – but they are excuses, not reasons for a faceplant, a character-wrecking move. Peter, the author of this chapter, who knew what it was like to do a faceplant – to publicly deny everything he knew to be true, said that God has given us everything we need for living a life of character and depth. Jesus made that possible! So… how in the world does THAT happen?

It would appear that we live in an era where an unprecedented number of high profile leaders have stumbled and fallen. Why? Is it because the internet and social media have made everything – especially the ugly and salacious stuff – more public? Is it because the internet and social media have made the ugly and salacious stuff more available? Is it because we live at a really difficult time in history and curtain-time is approaching? I’m guessing that it’s a combination of all three of these things. The easy answer would be that this is typical of Christians – they’re all hypocrites – or that the organizations just aren’t policing their ranks. The truth is the most Christians are hypocrites in some arena of life – that is, not practicing what we know is right; you know, when it comes to loving our enemies, forgiving people who hurt us, being kind and generous and loving. We don’t justify that – but we know it’s true. When it comes to not policing the ranks – well, God comes under fire there. After all, Satan – His creation – rebelled and took a third of God’s angels with him. Jesus prayed all night about who to choose as disciples – and still ended up with Judas! Here’s the question; What does this mean for you and me? What do we need to do to NOT end up as a casualties?