Hi my long, lost friends! I apologize for my absence last week -- I have been sick with the lovely cold/flu going around. It's still hanging on, but I'm not down for the count anymore and can get by with a little less rest now.
I'm excited to jump back into The Word with you this morning, and I pray that God could make sense or any worth from these words, as my head is still a bit foggy.
May I also ask you to pray for me as I am trying to balance my time. I have been working on writing a book for the past few months, and I'm struggling to have enough time to work a full time job, write a blog, and write a book, among all the other things. I love this blog, but I'm wondering if I need to take a break to focus on book writing. Please pray that I could hear the Lord's voice clearly on that and that He would give me the confidence to walk faithfully in the way that He desires.
I love you all so greatly, and it is a joy to grow in the Lord with you. It truly is!
Okay, let's get to it...
"This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 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."
"This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed." Paul is telling the Corinthians to only look upon he and Apollos as mere servants of the Lord and stewards of the mysteries/knowledge God had revealed. He's telling them that their arguments over who's better, Paul or Apollos, are beside the point...they are just doing God's work!
"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge, but more than that, they must be faithful. Not giving up and remaining devoted to Christ despite the circumstances or what people may be saying about them and their ideologies. It's not a sprint to the finish, but a slow and faithful journey in the same direction. Faithfulness is proved over time...a long time!
"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself." This is one of the trickiest verses in the Bible for me. I want to honestly say, like Paul, that I care very little about whether I'm judged by anyone...but the problem is that most days I do care, even though I don't want to. Paul was a man on a mission. He had one focus, and that was Christ and His Message. In the verses ahead, he is about to say some really direct things that only a man who knows his purpose could say to a community who knows him. It also surprised me how he then says that he does not even judge himself! I hadn't thought before how phrases like, "Well, I'm doing better than her," or "God will allow me into His Heaven," both pass some sort of a judgement on ourselves. Instead, look what he says...
"My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." He doesn't think there is anything unsettled between he and God; yet, he still leaves all the judging to the Lord. The only one who can judge is The Judge himself. How humble of Paul to think that though he doesn't think he's doing anything wrong, he's very aware that there could be ungodly thoughts or actions of which he's not aware. I want to be aware of that, too!
"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." Because the Lord is the only one who can judge, we need to wait for Him to do it. We have no business judging the people around us and their behavior. This doesn't mean we don't confront people out of our love for them, but we do not make the final calls on their salvation or their standing with God, even if we think we are sure of what God would decide. How dare I! Whether the good or the bad, only God can judge each person because only He knows their heart, their thoughts, and their attitudes. We speak truth, but we do not judge. We warn, but we do not shame.
May that be my focus today.
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