JUDGMENT: A POSITIVE LOOK AT IT?

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When you hear the phrase: "God's Final judgment", what do you think of? Let me guess. Maybe it is an old man with a long white beard holding a gavel telling people to go to Heaven or Hell at the end of time. Or maybe it is a big audible voice coming from the heavens telling people what they have done wrong at the end of the world. Whatever your mental picture is, usually it is understood to be a big negative event.(And yes, there will be negative elements about it) But allow me to encourage you to view God's judgment in a positive light.

Yes you better believe that God's Final Judgment will actually happen. There will be a place and time for the Creator of the universe to speak His judgment against humanity. To the Christ-followers, it will be a sorrowful time of sins being dealt with as well as a time of joy that they are a child of God along with the good things they have done. To the one's that are not Christ-followers it will be a time of regret and eternal judgment in Hell. It seems almost impossible to think about this in a positive light considering what was just said.

But the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians:10 says that the Christ-followers will be judged not only for the sins but also the good deeds. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad". Paul give credence to both the good and the bad. I will admit that it does us good to talk about the bad concerning the Final Judgment. This negative reinforcement motivates me to do good! But it seems that it is the negative things that I hear all the time about this.

What about some positive reinforcement to motivate me to do something positive? Well in searching Scripture, I found four points that motivates positively:
1. It encourages me to forgive others. God will have His vengeance. Therefore I am free to place judgment on others and forgive them.
2. It urges me to seek righteous living. In the end, all believer's acts and deeds will be shown.
3. It motivates me to be a witness and evangelize. The bible tells us that there will be an end! If we have the love of Christ in us, then we should let this thought encourage us to get as many people in the Kingdom as possible.
4. It gives me hope! The Final Judgment gives me hope to press forward. Someday Jesus will return and give us glorification. We will be fully what we were created to be!

IN THIS I HAVE PEACE!!