photo: weekly snaps
graphics: Martha G. Brady
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you blameless
before the presence of his glory with great joy,
to the only God, our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen.Jude 24-25
At our retreat last weekend, the emphasis was on the Gospel in the everyday. Now that we are Believers, there is a place for the Gospel as we remember what Christ has done for us. As we remember
how He is holding us in His hand and keeping us secure in the Gospel as His children.
How comforting to realize that in this Biblical passage, the Benediction is reminding us of who Jesus is…the One who is able to keep us from stumbling, to present us blameless before the presence of GOD with great joy.
And the One to whom we will be presented as we stand in Christ, the One who is
- full of glory
- majesty
- dominion
- authority
- for all time and forever!
It brings to mind the metaphor of a Bride, doesn’t it? In a way, it is like Jesus presenting me to GOD the Father saying, “Here she is. I have redeemed her. I have kept her despite the fact that she lived in a fallen world. She is blameless. She is yours for eternity.”
Won’t that day be stunning? We will all be there totally because of Christ! We won’t be there because of anything we did to earn our way. It will all be because of the work of Christ in and for us.
What a joy it will be to stand in the company of those people throughout history who have believed in Christ. We will be in the company of apostles, martyrs, prophets, and ordinary people who lived out their faith. We will have an eternity to work creatively and live in the glorious presence of GOD the Father and worship Him!
Do you ever find it difficult to believe that Christ could fully and sufficiently deal with your sin, as well as complete your salvation?
It is hard to believe. It is more than amazing. It’s almost ludicrous!
Good thoughts…goes along with my post I shared on Give me Grace, just now…I’m your neighbor to your left!!! It is amazing all that Jesus has done for us…forgiving my sins and redeeming my soul. Keeping it there all for eternity to come. Hard to fathom but He promises are true!
yes becky, i see that we were on similar wave lengths:) thanks for dropping by. i enjoyed your visit.
The photo and the Words grabbed me. I’m a Jude reader, right next to Revelation, where I’m also buried into that portion of the world and the Word and my life. Thank you so much for sharing.
glad you enjoyed it joanne:) i enjoyed writing it and thinking about that benediction. putting it together with the photo is also a challenge. i was falling asleep last night so had to go to bed and come back to it this afternoon.
Thank you. You are a blessing. That’s a truthfulism.