It has been almost 10 years since I have worked as a disputes lawyer. Yet, after each trial or hearing, I have never fully been at ease waiting for the Court’s judgment, despite what may be months or years of preparation that has gone into each case. We hardly ever have a client who is completely faultless, and the apprehension that the judge may not agree with your submissions is considerable.
As Christians, we know that the day would come when we would be judged by God (Ecc. 12:13-14). Do you worry about whether you would measure up to the standards God expects of you? I do. But I take comfort that there are steps we can take to prepare ourselves for Judgment Day.
1. Keep God’s Commandments
The Bible is replete with commands on how we should lead our lives as Christians (2 Tim. 3:16-17). These include:
Serving one another humbly (Gal 5:13-14)
Developing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Spreading the gospel (Mk 16:15)
When we keep God’s commandments, we receive blessings from Him (Psa. 119:2-3). Conversely, when we live after the flesh – succumbing to our sinful desires – we cannot please God (Rom. 8:7-8). Let us carry out God’s commands, not merely as obligations or out of mere duty, but to do so with delight while being motivated by our love for God (Psa. 119:47).
2. Develop a Sense of Judgment
In Matthew 7:1, Jesus said “Judge not, that you not be judged”. This does not mean that we cannot pass judgment on anyone. Rather, Jesus warns against judgment that is hypocritical (Mat. 7:2-5).
It is important that we develop our sense of judgment on what is right or wrong according to the Bible. Our sense of judgment:
Influences the people we choose to surround ourselves with, who can either build us up as Christians or lead us astray (1 Thess. 5:11; Pro. 12:26)
Allows us to identify false prophets (Matt. 7:15)
Enables us to call out sinful behaviour and guide the person towards repentance, or if necessary, to withdraw fellowship from such a person (Eze. 18:21-23; 1 Cor. 5:1-5, 11-13)
So let us not shy away from making judgments, but to do so from good intentions, and with a merciful spirit (Luke 6:36-37).
3. Trust that God is the Righteous Judge
The Bible repeatedly affirms the righteousness of God as the ultimate Judge (Psa. 9:8; Jer. 11:20). This means that God’s judgment will be one that is fair. He will not judge according to appearances (John 7:24), and every judgment He pronounces comes from His nature as a loving God (1 John 4:8).
When we stumble in our walk as Christians, as is bound to happen from time to time, let us acknowledge and confess our sins, and seek God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10; Psa. 32:5).
On Judgment Day, we can trust that God will not forget our work and labour as Christians (Heb. 6:10). As long as we have kept the faith, we can be confident that we will receive the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7-8).