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- Oct 26, 2007
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Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God. 1 Corinthians 4:5 NKJV
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:4, “My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” That suggests that it’s better to withhold judgment—either of ourselves as unfailingly aligned with God or others as out of step. God is the only one qualified to rightly judge what’s in our hearts, and He knows more about our influences and motives than even we fully understand.
Above all, we want to please God, not to be nice to avoid offense or to be harsh in our truth-telling. The love required to do so can’t be sentimental; it must commit to pursuing others’ best interests, especially in telling hard-to-hear truths, which we must always do with respect, knowing we can’t even rightly judge ourselves.
That said, there is a great deal of security in knowing that what God thinks is the most important measure of what we’ve done. When we think, speak, and act based on the reality that God knows all of it, clarifies our priorities and purifies our motives.
Prayer: Lord, show me anything that is keeping me from representing You well, so I can get right with You.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:4, “My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” That suggests that it’s better to withhold judgment—either of ourselves as unfailingly aligned with God or others as out of step. God is the only one qualified to rightly judge what’s in our hearts, and He knows more about our influences and motives than even we fully understand.
Above all, we want to please God, not to be nice to avoid offense or to be harsh in our truth-telling. The love required to do so can’t be sentimental; it must commit to pursuing others’ best interests, especially in telling hard-to-hear truths, which we must always do with respect, knowing we can’t even rightly judge ourselves.
That said, there is a great deal of security in knowing that what God thinks is the most important measure of what we’ve done. When we think, speak, and act based on the reality that God knows all of it, clarifies our priorities and purifies our motives.
Prayer: Lord, show me anything that is keeping me from representing You well, so I can get right with You.
