To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. —Jude 24-25
Can you believe this? Jesus has the ability and intention to present you with exceeding joy before the Father. On that final day I can imagine an angel greeting me and saying, “So, what do you think? It’s Judgment Day. Any nerves?” I’ll answer, “Nerves? Nah, I love being here!” How about you? Do you cringe when you think of that day? Do you fear that God will rebuke you publicly, before all the saints? What is your dominant emotion when you envision that day? If it is fear or dread, what does that say about your image of God? Have you fallen for lies of the devil and accepted a false view of a vindictive, unsmiling Savior? Or do you picture yourself running and embracing the Lord? Does your heart skip a beat with anticipation? Do you picture His goodness outweighing and outlasting His anger? Do you see the judgment as revealing the good motives of your heart, too?
{ PRAYER STARTER }
My heart is filled with unspeakable joy as I think about the moment I will stand before You in heaven. I long to see Your smile of approval and see Your arms outstretched in welcome. Because of Your gift of righteousness I am ready, and I cannot wait!
Do you wish you could find some broom closet
and wait out the judgment, coming out when
the day of reckoning has passed?
