Romans 2:2-5 – We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Our world is filled with little thrones where little judges render verdicts day and night. From social media to comments, there is not a second, day or night, that someone is not holding court and publicly judging others.
One day, all the little judges will stop their judging and stand before the Judge. To prepare for that day, there are five things Paul wants us to learn:
- God alone judges rightly (not you). We don’t ever have all the facts, pure motives, or perfect justice.
- God judges everyone, no one judges anyone else in the end. Jesus will sit on a White Throne to judge the world, and you will not be sitting on His lap to help Him out.
- God is patiently kind giving people ample opportunity to repent and avoid judgment. Just as God has been patient with us, we need to learn to be patient with others.
- You can either store up your treasures in heaven or torment in hell. Paul uses the same language for “storing up wrath for yourself” that Jesus used regarding storing up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19). No one is getting away with anything, but rather storing up everything.
- Be more concerned about you than them. Don’t waste your time judging everyone else. Do invest your time judging yourself so that you are ready for the day when both you and they stand before God for eternal judgment. You deal with you. Let God deal with them.
Who acts like a judge in your life? In whose life do you act like a judge?
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