Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
1 Corinthians 4:5, ESV
There are a lot of people that like to judge the fruit of people's lives, but the reality is that we do not know what is in their hearts. We cannot look at the outward things people do in the world, but we can look at the faith they profess. When it comes to our judgment of another, it is best to trust what they say but also lay everything at the foot of the Cross and leave it all to the mercy of our Lord. Ultimately, we can only know our own hearts. Here we can find comfort because, in faith, all we must do is confess our sins, known and unknown, and ask for our Lord’s forgiveness which He gives in abundance. Our confession does not make it OK to sin but lets us know that we are forgiven and can pray that God keeps us from repeating the sin again. When we try to make ourselves feel better because we judge the character of others and compare ourselves to them, we may puff ourselves up and lose our focus on Christ. We cannot hide anything from God, and why would we even want to try? We may think another is better than us because of what we see and fall into despair, but we don’t really know what is in their heart either. They may be struggling through sin or other things in their own lives and may need to know the comfort of our Lord, also. Appearances can be deceiving, and people may not always be in the place that they like to project they are. The true hope is only in Christ, and the true judge is only the Lord. Let us go out and proclaim His salvation and the promises which He pours out in abundance and let our Lord be the one that offers the commendation and the hope that springs eternal.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.