Convicted, not Condemned

Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 11

Scripture Focus: When we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned (1 Corinthians 11.32)

Devotional Thought: I was taken aback recently, when I heard two sports commentators talking about a particular quarterback's campaign for the Heisman. At first, I thought I had misunderstood, but as they spoke on, I realized that they were serious. There are actually campaigns to get people selected for Heisman voting! This quarterback and his coach welcomed people to enter into judgment on his performance, on his credibility as a Heisman candidate. They were begging for him to be judged!

That's a far cry from the direction in which our culture is moving. Instead of inviting judgment, the cry today is, "Don't judge me!" It has gotten to the place where we cannot deem one culture superior to another, or one lifestyle better than another. We are moving steadily in the direction of "anything goes."

But, is that a healthy mindset? Does such an attitude foster improvement, or does it contribute to indulgence? Does it lead to discipline and strength, or to decadence and stagnation?

Are judgment and discipline good only for the athlete? I think not, for Paul challenged the Corinthians to be more like the Heisman candidate in their spiritual lives! He asserted that being judged by the Lord was good for us, bringing us to a place of improvement and readiness. Further, Paul stated that when we lack judgment and discipline in our spiritual lives, we run the risk of being condemned! The word is actually a composite word meaning judged against, in other words condemned. The discipline of judgment prevents the condemnation of judgment.

Praise God for his soul-freeing discipline and judgment!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you give me the Word and the Spirit to help me judge my attitudes and actions. May I willingly be disciplined by this judgment, so that I may escape condemnation. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: 115.9-13

9 O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; 13 he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.