DAILY DEVOTIONAL – March 5, 2020
“The Final Judge”
Prayer: Lord God, You are perfect in all of Your ways. In our sinfulness we know we do not deserve Your love. We are able to worship You, love You and be loved by You only because of Your Son Jesus and His perfect blood given for us. Thank You God for Your most amazing grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-10
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Devotional – “The Final Judge”
I recently saw a YouTube video of a judge named Frank Caprio in Rhode Island. Judge Caprio was listening to people argue all different kinds of fines and tickets they had received from the city. One lady named Sarah was called up to plead her case. Sarah was there because she had received a parking meter ticket.
Judge Caprio reviewed and read aloud some of the details of the case, including what the parking enforcement officer wrote in their report when issuing the ticket. Parking was not allowed in the area between 8am and 10am. It stated that Sarah had parked in a bay at 9.59am and 58 seconds – that’s two seconds early.
In a sarcastic tone of voice and with a smile on his face Judge Caprio looked at Sarah and said, “You violated the city ordinances. Our parking enforcement offices are second to none in the country.” When asked by Judge Caprio to explain her actions, Sarah articulated how she thought she was okay to park there because the clock on her dashboard read 10:00am.
Clearly not impressed with the less than admirable judgement of the parking enforcement officer, Judge Caprio laughed off the ticket and dismissed the matter for Sarah saying, “I think 9:59am is close enough to 10am, matter is dismissed.”
Judge Caprio has become somewhat of a viral sensation because of his more down to earth and merciful approach to handling cases where everyday people find themselves in tough circumstances. When you watch the video, it is hard not to smile and be thankful that there is at least one reasonable judge out there who has a sense of mercy and understanding.
As I was watching the video, I couldn’t help but think about how people view God as a judge. Some view God as an overbearing parking enforcement officer who is just waiting to find some technicality to bust us on. On the opposite side of the spectrum there are an increasing number of people today who view God to be a lot like Judge Caprio. Yes, He put His laws in place and expects us to follow them, but He will give us a pass if we are close enough or “good enough” – or at least not as bad as the people ahead of us or behind us in line.
Neither of those pictures of God is accurate according to God’s own Word. God is a holy God and a righteous judge. He put His law in our hearts because He expects us to be thankful to Him for the life He has given us and faithful to obey what He commands us. If He were to give us a “pass”, even if it was over something as small as two-seconds, then He would cease to be holy and perfect. God is holy and perfect. God will not turn a blind eye to sin no matter how big or small. Sin has no measure. We sin because we are all sinners.
This does not mean, however, that God is out to get us or catch us in a “gotchya!” moment. God knows that we are all born in sin and that there is no one who stands even a remote chance at living a holy enough life in accordance with His Laws and standard of holiness. God cannot compromise His holiness, and yet at the same time, God is merciful and loving and as it says in our passage from 2 Peter 3, He “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
God in His wisdom and mercy that is far above our understanding, remains both holy and forgiving by sending His only Son Jesus. Jesus did live a perfect life according to the Law and in faithfulness to God. Jesus lived the life we were intended to live and that God expects us to live. By sending His Son to the cross, and by Jesus laying down His life in our place, God punished Him for our transgressions. Jesus paid the cost of our breaking God’s Law.
As Galatians 2:16 says, “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
It is only by faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and worthy sacrifice that we have any hope of having the charges against us dropped and being welcomed into eternity and into the presence of God forever. As Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Thanks for spending time with me in another daily devotion, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
