Only One Judge Counts – June 21, 2023

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
1 Corinthians 4:3,4

Only One Judge Counts

Judging others is easy. Jesus once pointed out how gifted people are in finding the speck in their neighbor’s eye without realizing that they’re lugging around a log in their own eye (Mt 7:3-5). We’re all much better at spotting what’s wrong with other people than identifying and correcting our own mistakes. We love to play the judge.

But as the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, there’s only one judge who counts, especially when it comes to serving God. That judge is Jesus. The people in Corinth were playing favorites, comparing one preacher to the other, and choosing whom they liked better.

Paul’s response to this Corinthian beauty pageant was simple. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court,” he wrote. “Indeed, I do not even judge myself.” As far as he was concerned, when it came to public proclaimers of salvation in Christ, there is only one judge who counts. “It is the Lord who judges me,” Paul explained. And what is the basis for Jesus’ judgment of preachers? Not flashiness, but faithfulness to his saving Word.

May we keep this in mind as we strive to tell others about Jesus and share his saving Word. Above all, we want to be faithful to him!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, keep me faithful to your Word. Amen.