There are three courts before which we must all be tried sooner or later. These are the court of public opinion, the court of conscience, and the court of God. None of these judgments should be taken lightly.
The court of public opinion convenes daily in our town. Sometimes it meets in the cafe, sometimes on the street corner, and sometimes over the telephone. There people discuss us, judge us, condemn us, or acquit us. This is a judgment that no one can escape. Though public opinion is important, don’t let it dominate your life. Some people become slaves to it. They are forever trying to win the approval of others.
The court of conscience is always in session. It condemns us or acquits us daily for our actions. A young boy asked his father, “What is conscience?” The father answered, “I don’t know, but when the phone rings, you pick up the receiver.” Our conscience is an emergency call from God. We dare not neglect it. We must give heed to it if we are to have peace and joy. But even our conscience is not our supreme judge. Our conscience can be wrong. We can have a false opinion of ourselves.
The court of God is the supreme court of life. What God thinks of us is infinitely more important than what others think of us, or even what we think of ourselves. His judgment will be final and without error.
Christ is gathering material for his final judgment now. Seek his favor and approval above all else. It is his opinion of us that shall matter eternally.