God My Judge

Tuesday is the day of the week when I focus on another attribute of God: my Judge. Yes, if we really want to train our minds and souls in the full character of God, we need to remember that he is the judge of our souls and we are accountable to him. Tomorrow is a day to focus on his mercy, but today it’s about accountability. But—in spite of this nature of God, I cannot bear to think of him only as my judge. I cannot bear a moment, not to mention an entire day, of thinking only of my accountability for my sin. I can only confess my sin before God if I know I’m approaching a merciful God. And I am glad for similar counsel from Paul Tripp on p. 53 of his book Whiter than Snow:

"...according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy..." (Psalm 51:1)

"If you and I are at all willing to humbly and honestly look at our lives, we will be forced to conclude that we are flawed human beings. And yet we don’t have to beat ourselves up. We don’t have to work to minimize or deny our failures. We don’t have to be defensive when our weaknesses are revealed. We don’t have to distract ourselves with busyness or drug ourselves with substances...Isn’t it wonderful that we can stare our deepest, darkest failures in the face and be unafraid? Isn’t it comforting that we can honestly face our most regretful moments and not be devastated? Isn’t it amazing that we can confess that we really are sinners and be neither fearful nor depressed?

"Isn’t it wonderful that we can do all of these things because, like David, we have learned that our hope in life is not in the purity of our character or the perfection of our performance? We can face that we are sinners and rest because we know that God really does exist (as judge and mercy-giver)."

1. Are there places where your living still portrays an unhealthy fear of God’s anger, judgment, and rejection? Do you ever doubt that he could love a person like you?
   
   
2. Is there a place in your life where you are still holding on to regret even though God has forgiven you and does not respond to you based on your past performance?

-- Charlie