Something stirring I took in this afternoon:

He (King Jehoshaphat of Judah) appointed judges throughout the nation in all the fortified towns, and he said to them, “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case. Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” —2 Chronicles 19:5-7

First, what does fear the Lord even mean?

I don’t think it means being afraid of God. It means giving him my highest respect and deepest reverence. I think smarter-than-the-average-theology-bear R.C. Sproul sums it up well in saying:

The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person… a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner…

Whereas being rightly God-fearing is…

…drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

So in the story above, reading the challenge to, “Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord… Fear the Lord and…”

“…Judge with integrity.”

I’m struck that this direction isn’t just intended for actual, literal, legal judges.

I mean—yes—that may have been the specific application in the context of this story. But I also see it as a broader charge to all of us.

A calling to:

1. Make decisions (i.e. judgments) with the highest integrity (even when unpopular).
2. Do this with tremendous respect and love, to please the Lord (not for personal gain).

Duh, right?

But consider:

• What an honorable charge.
• And how easy it is to forget or “let slide” a little sometimes.

How easily I can sometimes let little white lies slip out. Especially when no one “gets hurt” by it.

How comfortably I can take the easier but less-honest path every so often. Especially when no one’s there to notice or care, and everyone does it anyway.

Someone notices and cares deeply.

How easy to lose sight of the reality that my primary purpose on this earth is not to make the “good judgments” and “right decisions” in my life merely for the sake of personal development or “being my best”. It’s not just a pursuit of being the best version of myself, for my sake.

In most of the circles in which I move, “personal development” is almost a cliche’ and typically seen as the noblest, highest and best motivation behind almost anything you do.

“You owe it to yourself to become the very best version of yourself!”

I think maybe that’s close, but no cigar.

I’m created for a higher calling. We all are.

To always make decisions (big picture and day-to-day choices) that bring honor to the One who created me for exactly that purpose.

To always judge with integrity, not for my own sake, but for His.

Stepping boldly into that paradigm, and using it to shape and fuel any/every choice I make, will ultimately bring me more joy and fulfillment than anything I chase for “personal development.”

Help me always remember this, Lord.

—Memento Mori, Memento Aeternum