1 Corinthians 4:3-5
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.
Some of us, careful not to pronounce judgment on others, nevertheless feel as though we have carte blanche to wreak havoc on ourselves when we sin. In our hearts and minds (and sometimes with our mouths, when nobody’s looking) we say things about ourselves that we would never in a million years say about another person. Cruel, harsh, unforgiving, merciless, bitter, contemptuous things. Today’s Scripture reminds us that there is only one Lord and we ain’t Him. We must put away all – that’s all – judgment, including our judgments of ourselves. We must hand all judgment over to God and live in His mercy. As soon as possible, go to confession and leave your sins – and your self-contempt for those sins – in the hands of Jesus. You are His beloved too and have no more right to judge yourself than to judge another. Let Him be the Lord of love in your life.
