“My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” [Psalm 119.120 NASB]
A few days ago, I was given a vision of the lake of fire and brimstone. It was a horrific picture of unceasing restlessness. Some of the waves of the gray, black and dark sea were shaped like lips, which were continually moving as they were desperately waiting to devour its next inhabitant. At that time, I was given the frightening impression of insatiability.
David also knew the fear of the Lord, but his fear was in relation to His judgments. The very godly men who formulated the Canon of Scripture had defined the measuring rod by which every written article would be assessed and measured, with a view to acceptance or rejection.
At one time I had a dreadful fear of the last judgment. I had the wrong concept of God. After much counseling and sharing I grasped the truth that there is no fear in perfect love.
Yes, God will judge the believer, but His judgment will be a relational assessment. It will not be like the Great White Throne judgment, when the wicked will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
He will sit and assess our deeds and motives as a father does with his children and reprove or reward us accordingly.
When I was a little boy, there was always a set of scales in every shop. Everything was weighed accurately and we only got what we had paid for.
When God looks at our lives, there may be a shortcoming in some departments, but He who looks at the unbalanced scales is the same One who paid the price of our redemption. We will leave the weighing station without any charges or accusations.
There may be a strong word or two said, but at the beginning of the judgment we were His children, and this situation will remain unchanged both, during and after the assessment. [David McArdle]
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