Judgement

I was listening to a sermon yesterday in the car that was very good. The pastor said there was a conversation between two women where they were talking about being judged. They were saying they didn't want to be judged by others. He said he didn't reply to them but thought they were completely wrong. He said everyone wants to be judged, we just want that judgment to be positive. I thought about that and it is so true! We live out our lives with the hope and expectation that others will judge us in a positive light. But if that doesn't happen, it can shake our belief in ourselves. Then I thought about God. Do I do things with the hope and expectation that he will judge me positively? Yes! But it's funny how this relationship is so different than others. The truth is that there is nothing that I can do that would incline him to look on me in a positive light. It's just not going to happen. The only way that he would look down on me and see me that way is if he sees his son covering me with HIS righteousness. All the good things I do don't mean a hill of beans without Christ. Therefore, everything that I do for the kingdom of God must be done with the acknowledgment that it is only by Christ's strength that I can do them. This humbles us instead of making us boast in ourselves, which is what we tend to do when we impress others. This is one of the reasons why Deuteronomy 6:5-9 is important. To remind us our place lest we forget. To remind us of where our strength and source of life comes from. Job 34 is a good passage to read. So today I pray that I walk humbly about with the goal of glorifying God through my thoughts and actions. That they be a pleasing aroma to him but only through Christ can it be so.