Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

      At the time of any judgment taking place in our lives, there is rarely any joy or happiness concerning what has been exposed. This is because God’s judgments are true and righteous, and most often will point out what our egos are expressing and deceiving ourselves into doing. Psalm 19:9b The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. The Lord’s instructions clearly show our hearts where we went wrong, and at that point, we need to decide if we will obey the correction of God or resent and ignore it. Our culture does not welcome critical assessment of our motives and intentions. Therefore, we frown in indignation when we are pinned to the spot of our transgression by the Holy Spirit’s honest judgment and correction. Most of us can dish out rules and regulations that should be followed, but often have difficulty obeying them. This is where the blessing of judgments comes in to save us from our inflated egos. We need the righteous judgments of God to keep our lives holy and acceptable to God the Father.

      When the Lord repeats something He deems important, then wisdom dictates that we pay attention to the recurrent admonition. For example, when Jesus repeats in His letters to the churches in Asia, Rev. 2:29 Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus is still saying these words to us today. If you have ears to hear, then listen to what God’s judgments are saying to your heart. If you want honest direction in your life, then reach for the judgments that instruct righteous change because they are coming from God’s loving heart. Isaiah 26:9 I long for You in the night; yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks You, for when Your judgments are in the land, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. The Lord’s commandments will lead us into true righteousness and keep us aware of our self-righteous tendencies that deceive our hearts from hearing and obeying God.

      God’s judgments are the plumbline of life, and no matter how much humanity plays with the rules of what a straight line is, God’s straight line is unchanging and right for living in righteousness while walking within the will of God. Matt. 7:13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Why do few find the right way to salvation? Because God’s righteousness is the only righteousness that will be acknowledged as truth. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The truth of God’s Word at work within us is a blessing we need to live in Christ.

      All of God’s instructions are based on His holiness, wisdom, truth, integrity, and righteousness. This is why the Psalmist said and understood that one could only be happy when our sins were forgiven. Psalm 32:1 Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is pardoned. He also understood that forgiveness came through the obedience of God and the laws that instructed our hearts to keep us from stumbling so easily. Psalm 119:165 Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble. The key to not stumbling is to love the judgments of God that are working within us for the good of our lives. We need to allow God’s instructional directives to lead us in His righteous peace that has been offered to all mankind.

      Henry Rollins wrote: You must never lower yourself to being a person you don’t like. When I find myself in a place of self-loathing, or not liking myself, it is usually after I have disobeyed the Lord and not appreciated the judgments that were working on my ego. In that moment, I seem to lose the love for the intercession Christ is doing on my behalf, and start feeling like God is interfering with my will. The point is, I am no longer accepting the blessing of God’s judgment in my heart, and my world begins to fall apart. Yes, true repentance is needed when we replace Jesus the Master, who is sitting on the throne of our hearts, with our pathetic selves. After falling in this manner, we must run to the throne of grace and mercy to repent and receive the cleansing power of Christ’s forgiveness. Heb. 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

      The churches in Asia may not have felt or seen the letters that the Apostle John sent them as blessings for the edifying of the body of Christ because of the persecution and oppression of Christians that were prevalent throughout the Roman Empire at the time. However, these letters were instructional in having the blessings and leadership of God at work in the members of the church body. The churches in different ways had drifted from God’s standards, compromised with idolatry, and settled for self-righteous religion. The judgments of God were needed to bring about the righteous truth that Christ the Lord is the head of the church and of our hearts. The blessings and obedience to the Lord’s judgments are what we need to stay the course of God’s infinite plan. May God’s grace give us the courage to fulfil it for the rest of our lives. Heb. 6:3 And God permitting, we will do so.