So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.  It is the Lord who judges me.  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.  At that time each will receive his praise from God (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

Jonathan Leeman, commenting similarly in The Chruch and the Surprising Offense of God's Love:

Statistics may have their uses for churches, but the most important things about a church cannot be measured—the differences between fake and real, between flesh and spirit, between the minds of men and the mind of God.  Only as we stand before God on the day of judgment will the real measurement of things be revealed.  Sadly, too many pastors and churches attempt to measure their ministry by what is seen rather than what is unseen. (p. 61)

How freeing it is when stewards of the gospel live each day in light of that Day knowing Whose judgment really and ultimately matters--not their members, not the courts, not even their own, but Christ's alone.  For on that day we'll be seen for who and what we really are, and we'll receive our reward.

The pitfalls are many.  We may value the opinions and judgments of our people too much, swinging wildly between the last compliment and the last criticism we receive from our people.  Or we may think too highly of human courts, the court of public opinion outside the church, and give too much attention to being acceptable to the world.  And how often have we judged ourselves?  How often do we either condemn or excuse ourselves?  How often do we make the mistake of concluding we must be innocent because "our conscience is clear"?  How humbling for Paul to reveal that even though his conscience is clear regarding his life and ministry he still cannot conclude his own innocence as though his conscience were infallible.  Feeling okay about what we're doing is not the same as being okay in God's sight.  

Why do we look to the judgment of others or to our own judgment of ourselves so often when such assessments are so unreliable?  Why do we take other people's flatter or criticism so seriously?

There's coming a Day when everything will be brought to light, and we will know ourselves as God has known us.  That's far more sobering than the comments--positive and negative--we receive after the morning service.

I make a few specific applications from this reality:

1.  Pray, "Lord give me a clean heart." (Ps. 24:3-4; Heb. 10:22)

2.  Work to be faithful in the small things so I may be found faithful in the big things, entrusted with more, and find my happiness with God (Matt. 25:21, 23).

3.  Do not fear man, but fear God (Matt. 10:28).

4.  Do not live to please men, but live to please God (Gal. 1:10).

5.  Look to my reward from God in the life to come, not in the world of men (Matt. 6:1-24).