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Scripture |
1 Corinthians 4 NIV 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. Devotional: Whose judgment are you most concerned with in your life? As we read this passage we see that Paul is not concerned with anyone of this world in regards to judgment, not even his own. Does that mean we can go around doing whatever we choose with no consequences, of course not. Paul admits that even he is not innocent, and with that being said, neither are any of us. Our actions will indeed bring judgment and consequences by others of this world and by God. The difference is one judgment is premature while the other is proper and just. We are told not to judge anything before the appointed time, and the time he is referring to is when our Christ comes again to separate the harvest from the weeds. You see we all grow together and we do not have the ability nor right to separate what God has sown. What we may consider worthless God may choose for the harvest, as Paul states He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness. It is only He that knows the true motives of our hearts. I am going to share a fact with all of you: We as human beings do not deserve anything but prostitute, clergymen, or murderer. We all deserve the same punishment, but God so loved this world (meaning us, His creations) that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believed/received Him would have eternal life. There it is people the revelation…..I don't care how good of a person you are or you think you are, without the blood atonement that took place on that cross our physical death would be final. It is through Jesus Christ that we conquer our physical death. Someday your heart will seize to beat, and your body will lie cold in the ground, you will be physically dead, but I tell you rejoice. With the acceptance of Jesus Christ comes the promise of everlasting life, a life with no pain, sorrow, no earthquake to claim so many lives, and no suffering. How does all of this relate back to what Paul is telling us, simplified, we are to love others as Jesus loves us, we are to be slow to judge, and quick to encourage, for our judgments have no merit and only hurt others and fill us with a selfish pride. As we pass judgment, let us remember that we to will be judged, but our judgment will come from a higher court…and that verdict is final, there will be no plea bargains and no sentence reduction for good behavior…...it will be an eternal ruling. |
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ECCA Supports the Following Charities & Ministries: |
Mothers Mission Food Pantry 814-257-8447 Benevolence Ministry 724-548-5643 Samaritan Purse Ministry 724-548-5643 Relay For Life (Star Gazers) 1-814-257-8731 |