“The Judge”

By Lance Cordle       For the past several weeks, Major League Baseball fans, and in particular, New York Yankees’ fans have been very excited because of the approaching eclipse of a long-held home run record. The record was held by Roger Maris and consisted of him hitting sixty-one home runs (one more than the previous record, held by George Herman “Babe” Ruth) in a single, regular season. This time, a young man named Aaron Judge was moving toward the long-held mark. Finally, on Sunday, October 4, 2022, Aaron hit the home run that gave him the single-season American League record of sixty-two. His accomplishment was proclaimed far and wide and even the son of Roger Maris celebrated his moment of glory.     Throughout Aaron Judge’s career, reporters have used his name in interesting ways— “holding court,” “giving the verdict,” etc. After he hit “#62,” I read where he was referred to simply as “The Judge.” Of course, this was a way for the reporter to have a catchy headline and to point out Aaron Judge’s unique place in Major League Baseball. However, the minute I read, “The Judge,” it made me think of the one, true judge of all mankind, God Almighty.     The Bible affirms that we are moving toward a final day, a day we refer to as the “day of judgment” (Matthew 11:24). It is a sobering thought to realize that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10), and that “each of us will give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). In fact, it is my conviction that this impending judgement is the primary reason that some people ignore the evidence and refuse to believe in God.     As we contemplate that great day and event, it is helpful to keep in mind the main trait of our judge: He is righteous (2 Timothy 4:8). In the life of Abraham, as he struggled with the overwhelming sense of doom for Sodom and Gomorrah, asked, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”. When everything (and I mean, everything) is taken into consideration, God will do what is right in regard to every person. Human judges are imperfect, are sometimes biased, and sometimes, “bought”. But, God does not have those flaws. When we stand before him (Revelation 20:12), we can be sure that all the facts will be considered and the verdict will be just. What’s more, Christians can rest in the fact that “The Judge” is a loving and merciful God (Ephesians 2:4, 5).     So, (as we often sing) “there’s a great day coming...”     “Are you ready for the judgment day?”

- Lance Cordle preaches the Calvert City Church of Christ in Calvert City, KY.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com