Our Righteous Judge

Serving God as a Pastor's wife is a unique position. People at our community pool will apologize for their language when I'm around. One lady said, "Oh you brought your husband with you today. I'd better watch what I say and do."

Yet, the Psalmist said, "You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go" (v. 1-3, CEV).

People will do before God, who is our only righteous judge, what they would never do before the preacher and his wife. I actually tell people, "I am not your judge, God is; and He is watching you all the time." (James 4:12; Romans 14:4)

This makes them pause and think for a moment. Hopefully, it will make them realize that they answer to God for every thought word and deed (Revelation 20:12). I pray they will come to repentance and be saved (Isaiah 33:22).

The choices we make on this earth will determine our eternal destination, and God is the only judge who will make that final ruling (Matthew 10:28).

If our sins are covered under the blood of Christ, He paid their penalty for us. If we are not Born Again by the blood of the Lamb, we condemn our self already (John 3:18).

No one has an excuse (Romans 1:20). When we stand before God, He will not hear our pleas and explanations. It will be too late for apologies and repentance then.

Now is the time for salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). We are not guaranteed one more breath of life. We may enter eternity and meet our righteous judge before we repent; and then it is too late.

There is no purgatory in which we can pay for our sins. There are no indulgences which we can pay to convince God to allow our loved ones to enter into His Kingdom. Jesus already paid the debt we owe. Come now and repent and believe (Mark 1:15).

Prayer:
Father God, our carnality has desensitized us from realizing Your awesome holiness and fearing You more than we fear people. We do not want anyone to tell us what to do or how to behave or what to think; yet You already removed the burden of righteousness from our shoulders by giving us the righteousness of Your dear Son.

No one is capable of fully obeying the law. You gave it, not for us to keep, but for us to realize the futility of our trying to make our self holy by attempting to conform to it. You provided the law to show us our need to accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord (Galatians 3:1-19; Romans 3:20). We thank You for giving us this way to know You now and throughout eternity (John 17:3).

Thought for the Day:
Once we surrender our life and destiny to God through repentance and salvation, His Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ one step at a time. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Pictures of God

 

God is so indescribable that Biblical writers used the best words they could find to depict Him in human terms. He is: a soldier (Exodus 15:3), a husband (Jeremiah 31:32), a true friend (Jeremiah 30:17), a savior (Isaiah 45:15), a caring shepherd (Psalm 23:1), a deliverer (Psalm 18:2), our good master (Psalm 123:2), our king (Psalm 10:16), a nurturing father (Psalm 89:26), a righteous judge (James 4:12) and so much more.

God is high and lifted up. He is larger than life and the train of His robe is all that will fit in His temple. His voice sounds like a thunderous waterfall or a loud trumpet; and it sends tremors throughout the earth (Revelation 14:2; Isaiah 6:1-4). God is exalted over every nation at the same time that He sits on His glorious throne in heaven. There is no God like Jehovah; yet, He is concerned with the affairs of our life on this earth (Psalm 113:4-6).

He puts a hunger in our soul for fellowship with Him, so that we will seek Him, reach out for Him and find Him. He is not far from any one of us. Once we surrender our will to His, we live, move and have our existence in Him as His children (Acts 17:27-28). God even provides for the creatures in nature. They store up His provision, which they receive from His open hand, and it satisfies them. By His Spirit He renews the earth and everything in it (Psalm 104:27-30).

No one can escape God’s presence. His influence reaches from heaven to hell, and from the seas to the mountains. He guides us no matter where we are dwelling. He turns our darkness into light (Psalm 139:7-12; Amos 9:2-4). Our God has always existed and He is coming back to the earth in order to rule and reign over mankind. There will be no more dying, sorrow, stress or depression under His leadership, as there is under the human leadership we suffer with now (Isaiah 35:10, 51:11).

Prayer:

Father God, You have always existed, and You are coming to rule in eternity. Even when our mortal body passes away, we will see You in our immortal body. Our heart yearns for that moment, in which we will see You face-to-face. We hope that it comes very soon (Job 19:25-27). Even now in our sin cursed world, You cause us to lie down in peace and You give us safety (Psalm 4:8). When we face trials and trouble, You are our stronghold and our refuge. Those who live in Your name and trust in Your faithfulness will never be forsaken (Deuteronomy 31:6-8).

Thought for the Day:

God keeps His eyes on us - not to harm us, but for our good. - Amos 9:4