Ezra 7:1-8:20 / 1 Corinthians 4 / Psalm 30 / Proverbs 20:28-30
I used to care what people thought about me. Honestly, I still care, but less than I used to. I’m working on that. If I am living my life for an audience of One, I should be concerned only with His thoughts toward me. It is the Lord who sees my heart, my motives and my actions and will judge based on the full picture of the truth of my life. So, why do I allow the thoughts of others toward me to cause me pain or joy? Good question.
The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 4 is thought-provoking, and I found many portions that were worthy of study, but I decided to dive into verse 5 because it spoke to so many of the seasons I’ve walked through. Along with caring what others think, I’ve been working through ridding myself of insecurity. It is only when we see ourselves through the eyes of the Father that we find ourselves fully secure and unashamed.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
First, we are to judge nothing. It is God’s job to judge. Sometimes we are quick to judge someone, writing them off for whatever shortcomings we see, when their story has not been fully written. There is always time for one to change or become more like Jesus, especially if they are hearing and obeying Him. Judgment comes at the end of our lives, after we have walked through trials, persevered, grown and matured into who God has called us to be.
Some of us will accomplish a lot of what is on God’s heart for us, some a moderate portion, and some a small taste of God’s plans He prepared for us. But, again, it is not for our fellow humans to decide how much of that plan we accomplished or how well we performed. I’m thankful to have my merciful Father as my Judge. Wait until the Lord comes; He will judge.
When God does judge, it will be about the motives of one’s heart, not about the tasks accomplished. Many people do good things but for the wrong reason. God wants to speak to us about why we did the things we did. Did we love and help others so they would like us? Or so we could appear to be mature or wise? Or did we love and help others because Jesus asked us to, regardless of what people thought?
It is our motives that are hidden in darkness. God will shine His loving light on our hearts so that we will understand what our motives were during different seasons of life. Hopefully we recognized our whys and shifted toward the heart of the Father to guide us in the good things we accomplished.
At the end of the verse, it states that at the time of judgment each will receive her or his praise from God. This reminds me of another verse in Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. I work for God, and I serve people. I am approved by God, and I love people. It’s important to differentiate between these because if we do not, we will begin seeking the approval of men when it is only God Who can approve us. I serve people because they are loved by God, not so I can gain something from them
