You Will Be Judged

Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. (Psalm 1:5)

Meditation

For most of my adult life I didn’t believe in God or heaven or hell. I didn’t really have any thoughts about what comes after death. Even with my stubborn refusal to even consider Christ there was a nagging fear of death in the back of my mind. I think God puts that fear in everyone to shake their confidence and cause them to look inward. Every single soul is going to stand before the Judgment Seat. Whether you believe in God or not, whether you’re a sinner or saint, Christian or Jew, Muslim or Hindu, atheist or agnostic. As a believer in and follower of Jesus, I will be found innocent of my sins and be called righteous. Not because of my own righteousness or any good things I’ve done, but only because of the cleansing blood of Jesus.

You may say, you’ve never done anything all that bad that you should be condemned to hell. You know you’re not as bad as most people you know. If you were going to be compared against other humans, you might stand a chance. However, you’re being compared against the only perfect being in the universe, God himself. Wicked sinners, like I was, like you are, cannot stand up to the scrutiny of a comparison to God. You’re not going to be judged against each other with only the best folks going to heaven. You’re being compared to the Creator of the Universe, the author of goodness and righteousness. You don’t stand a snowball’s chance in (you know where) without the cleansing blood of Jesus. We all need Jesus, and without him, we’re all doomed.

Without Jesus paying the price for my sins, I would not have a chance at the Judgment Seat. No one, no not even one, is good enough to stand in God’s presence on our own goodness. We all need Jesus! I once was one of the worst of sinners, but Jesus loved me enough to die for me. He died for whoever is reading this right now too, no exceptions. No matter what you’ve done, it can’t be bad enough that he will not forgive you. He has made that promise to mankind and he is faithful to keep his word. Reach out to him as I did, and he will do for you what he’s done for me. He will give you a peace, hope, and joy that goes beyond understanding. Above all that he will fill you with love like you’ve never felt before! Hallelujah!

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, how fortunate for us that you are a loving God and not spiteful or full of hate. We have Jesus to be our light on the path of righteousness. Teach us, Lord, how to be like Jesus. Even as he hung on the cross, he asked for forgiveness for his persecutors. His actions on the cross are part of our example of what righteousness is. Give us all a heart like Jesus, that we will love the ones who are opposed to us. Father we rest on the promise of our salvation, that we have already been pardoned for our sins. Therefore, we have nothing to fear about the coming Judgment upon all mankind. You have given us the name above all other names by which we can be saved. We pray, Lord, for those stubborn loved ones who will not listen to our explanations for your love for them. Father soften their hearts and make them receptive to the gospel message. Take away their pride in their own goodness and teach them how poor, wretched, and blind they are. Make them understand they cannot stand up to the judgement they will have to face. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!