Meditation Monday: Judge Me

“The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭7:8‬ ‭ESV‬

“Only God can judge me.”

I’ve heard people say this before, and I'm sure you have too. Usually it’s because they feel like someone is judging them and they don’t like the judgment they’re getting from their fellow human. In order to feel better, it’s easy to think, “Well, no human’s judgment matters.” So we put the task on God.

“Only God can judge me.” Are you sure you want Him to? If you don’t want a person to be judging your actions, what makes you think God’s opinion will be any better? More than that, His is the only opinion that matters! If God were to judge you, what would He say?

This is definitely not the funnest thing to think about. When I ask myself that, it forces me to take a good, hard look at myself. And I don’t always like what is revealed. It’s painful. Sometimes it’s just too easy to live how I want to, and I’d rather ignore the fact that I am purposefully choosing to live in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord. Because the blame can be put on only me. I made those decisions. And I really don’t want to be judged for my decisions.

“But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:31-32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Crazy enough, it’s actually a good thing to let God judge us. I know, it sounds scary and makes us realize that we fall short. And that is exactly the point. We fall short. But God is here to help.

If we allow the Lord to judge us, He will correct us.

For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.Proverbs 3:12 NLT

But no one likes being disciplined! (amiright?) Growing up I hated being disciplined. I wanted to do what I wanted to do without consequences! Without being corrected! But my parents loved me too much to let me have my way when they knew my way was wrong.

Our heavenly father is the same way. He loves us so much. THAT is why he corrects us. Not to condemn us or make us feel guilty, but rather so we can live in His promises. He corrects us in love.

Application

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to “judge” yourself.
Are there areas in my life in which I’m disobeying God?
Am I spending time with Him daily through prayer, Bible reading, and fasting?
Are my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts honoring Him?
What areas do I need to improve in?

Are you ready to ask what David did?

Pray: “Judge me, oh Lord. Point out the areas in my life that aren’t pleasing to you. Correct me in Your love. Help me in my shortcomings. Discipline me so I will not be condemned with the world. Open my ears to hear your instructions. Open my eyes to see and understand the laws written in Your word. I will obey your instruction and correction.”