“Today is history.”

A friend made this remark in passing recently and it occurred to me that we often think of “history” as a record of things done by great people – accomplishments that change the course of culture and the world. We “study” history by reading books and accounts of extraordinary events but sometimes we forget that they were simply ordinary people who happened to make some intentional choices that had long-term and wide-reaching ramifications.

That’s one way to view history, but perhaps we should remind ourselves that we all make history every day!

What I did yesterday…is history.

Every word I speak, every action I take – at the end of the day, I have written my history.

Man’s history books can be changed and rewritten. It’s the survivors, the winners, who tell the tales and their perspective may or may not be accurate. There’s only one truly accurate historical account that matters, and it’s kept by heavenly scribes.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 – Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Romans 14:10-12 – But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Matthew 12:36-37 – But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Scripture clearly teaches that both unbelievers and believers will come face to face with God as He opens the history books. For believers, gratefully, we will not answer for our sins, as all our transgressions have been “zeroed out” by the blood of Christ. Our sinful history is removed from our account by the power of Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross. We will, however, give account for what we have done with our lives since God saved us, for the purpose of rewards or loss of rewards.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 – According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Unbelievers – those who have rejected the offer of Christ’s payment for their sins – will stand before God for a different kind of historical review.

Revelation 20:11-15 – Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Today, I am making history. So are you.

While we don’t get to choose every detail of our story, we do have a say in how history remembers us. God has given us life and breath and free will that determines what is written down in heaven.

What will history reveal about you? Only time will tell.

Two takeaways.

First, while we can’t go back to yesterday and change what we did or said, we can ask God to rewrite history by the power of the blood of Jesus. He is a merciful and loving God, and He waits on high to show us compassion. He is willing and able to change the course of our history.

Second, we all ought to think carefully about our daily actions, knowing our story is being recorded in heaven for all eternity. A kind word or deed can change the world. The simple act of obediently sharing the gospel can bring spiritual life to a person destined for eternal death.

What would you do differently today if you really understood and believed you were making history?