Reading that passage in one of my devotionals this morning, I had to stop and re-read it several times. The part that grabbed my attention was this: present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. What a blessing to be reminded of that beautiful truth! Nothing can prepare us for the joy of being welcomed into God's presence but how often do we think about the joy our Lord has in bringing us into the presence of the Father? GREAT joy! Isn't that amazing?
We too easily get caught up in what we need to do to earn God's favor, to be approved of, accepted - to be good enough. We have it backwards. Jesus has done all that needs to be done for us to be brought before his Father, fully approved, totally loved and accepted, without fault. There is nothing more for us to do but accept the gift he is offering and walk in the love and light of Jesus.
As I've thought about God's love for us, I had a mental picture of my son when he was just born. My heart was so full of love for this precious gift, this sweet baby that I never expected to have. What a miracle the whole experience seemed to be. For the past 34 years, I've known a love unlike any other love for the life that came from my body. Through many trials and struggles over the course of his life - things that could have robbed me of that love - I only knew God's unconditional love flowing through me. In his hardest times, my son knew I loved him. He kept that truth as an anchor when he felt totally lost. Only God's love can accomplish that. The power of God's love for my child eventually led him to accept that love for himself - to know the saving grace, love, acceptance and freedom that is in Jesus.
The love I felt 34 years ago and feel today is only a hint of the love our Father has for us and the joy the Lord feels for his children. We will, one day, be presented blameless and with great joy to the Father. We will know life in the presence of the one who is LOVE.
