JUDGING IS ABOVE OUR PAY GRADE
ROMANS 14:10-13
ROMANS 14:10-13 NKJ
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written:
"As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God."
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
OBSERVATION:
If we will give up judging one another in the Body of Christ, we will gain a lot of time and create a lot of goodwill.
This entire chapter deals with how we are to treat one another. None of us is in the position to be a judge. There is no New Testament office of judge.
The sober reminder is that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And each one of us will give account of ourselves to God. We will not be able to take anyone with us to the judgment seat. We will not be able to blame anyone else for our actions.
God is the just judge. And He is the only one qualified to judge our hearts and actions.
So, where does this leave us during our time here on earth?
First, we take seriously our life before God and what we do for Him while we are here. All of us have been given gifts and talents, and we have a brief window of time to use them down here. Our life is meant to glorify God and help others. And the day is coming when we will answer to God.
The second thing that stands out is to make certain we are not judging others. Instead, we are to make sure we don't cause harm or influence in the wrong way.
Because we have not been equipped to function as a judge, we leave that activity up to Him. Judging truly is above, way above, our pay grade.
APPLICATION:
These instructions are pretty straightforward. No sense trying to dance around them. So, the next time you are tempted to operate as a judge, say out loud, "Not my job."
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, forgive me for judging. Help me to live my life in such a way that You are honored, and others are helped. Please show me what I can do in lieu of judging, and how I can be a blessing.