God Judges our Thoughts and Desires

A Word of Truth #122  

A man once came to Jesus believing that he had kept the law of God perfectly. After all, he had never killed anyone, had never had an adulterous affair, nor stolen anything, nor openly broken any of the other commandments. However, it is not just our outward actions that God judges. He judges our thoughts and desires as well.

Therefore, Jesus says, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). God also forbids coveting—an invisible sin of the heart. Coveting includes not being content with what God has given, sinfully desiring something you do not have, wanting something you could only obtain by sinning, or being consumed by want and greed.

God judges our thoughts and desires together with our words and deeds. How thankful we can be that Jesus died for all our sins of thought, word, and deed.

We Have All Sinned, but also Rescued from Sin

A Word of Truth #123  

“Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) has become one of the most quoted Bible verses of our day. Unfortunately, it is often quoted incorrectly and with the purpose of avoiding God’s just condemnation of sin. While Jesus does caution against judging the hearts of others, the Bible is very clear that God has established a standard of right and wrong. Right thoughts, words, and actions are to be commended, while wrong thoughts, words, and actions are to be condemned.

Our world, however, does not like dealing with sin. It is uncomfortable with the thought of divine judgment. Yet, sin is a fact, and it is also a fact that we have all sinned. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that all sinners are the objects of God’s love and have been rescued from sin by Jesus Christ. Confess your sins to God. Trust in Jesus as your Savior.