By Given O. Blakely
SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JESUS
"And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)
Devotion 30 of 31
THE WONDER OF SALVATION
Right here a very wonderful aspect of salvation is seen. The truth of the matter is that we all will appear before the Lord, standing in His sight. Even though NOW everything is "naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13), that stark reality sometimes eludes us. However, there is coming a day when we will be acutely aware that we are before Him, and so will the rest of the assembled universe. This is an inevitable confrontation. There is no way to avoid it, postpone it, or cause it to be canceled.
Behold the goodness of the Lord in this matter. He has made abundant provision for that very appearing to turn to our decided advantage. If we avail ourselves of the reconciliation Jesus made through the blood of His cross, that will be our blessed and most profitable time! We will never be more blessed than then! Our joy will rise to its most lofty peak, and our confidence will be its strongest. Here we experience a joy that is "unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet 1:8). Then – when we are "in His sight" to pass through His scrutiny – we will be "glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Pet 4:13). Then, we will have boldness – "boldness in the day of judgment" (1 John 4:17). It is possible to "have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28).
GOD IS ABLE
And why is all of this so? For one thing, it is because God "is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). He is not only "able" to do this, but has revealed that ability to us. It is, therefore, in order to fervently seek to appropriate that blessing.
THE PURPOSE FOR THE RECONCILIATION
As if this is not enough, there is another reason for this possibility, and it is the focus of our text. It is this, namely that salvation, or reconciliation, is calculated to accomplish this benefit. That is WHY we have been reconciled to God, and it is WHY Jesus is reigning at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). It is WHY the massive hosts of angels have been marshaled to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation (Heb 1:13-14). It is WHY we have been given the Holy Spirit, who helps our infirmities, interceding for us, and leading us in the mortification of the flesh (Rom 8:13,26-27). It is WHY there is "grace to help in the time of need" (Heb 4:16).
This is the ultimate reason for "the whole armor of God" (Eph 6:10). It is why we have been "given all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3). It is why we have "access" to God through the Spirit, and "into this grace wherein we stand" (Rom 5:2; Eph 3:2).
Remove the objective of being presented "holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight," and there is no reason for salvation. In such a case, there is no reason to live godly, resist the devil, or crucify the flesh. In fact, without this purpose, there is no need for Jesus, no need for the Holy Spirit, and no need for the Word of God.
If our religion does not hold up in the day of judgment, there has been no point to it at all. If, when we stand before the Lord, we are ashamed, our life has been in vain, and we will obviously be of all the most miserable.
In order to fail the final test – the test of God's examination – there are several things that must be done. The Gospel of Christ must be ignored. The Holy Spirit of God must be resisted, grieved, and quenched. The Word of God must be neglected and thrust from us. We must forget the day of judgment, and refuse to consider death. We must refuse to be taught by Jesus or guided by the Spirit. In order for a person who has come into Christ to revert to the old manner of life, he must forget he was purged from his old sins, listen to the devil, and refuse to set his affection on things above.
When, therefore, we see slothfulness, indifference, disobedience, and hardheartedness among those professing the name of Jesus, it has betrayed a most lamentable situation. Such have "neglected" God's "great salvation," choosing to be deluded by the wicked one. How do I know this is the case? Simply because everything about salvation – everything – is designed to prepare us to stand before God. It is not possible to enter into eternity unprepared, without stubbornly refusing to receive what God has freely given in the Gospel, and resisting the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank and praise You for giving to us everything that pertains to life and godliness. --GivenB@aol.com
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