To him who is able to keep you from stumbling
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
Heavenly Father, marinating in this passage fuels and enflames my heart. The older I get, the more I care about finishing this life with a flourish, not with a whimper. I don’t care about “riding off into the sunset,” but rising to meet the Son.
I know I need Jesus’ mercy and grace today just as much as the first day you placed me securely in Christ. Thus, I abandon myself to the promises which overflow in this passage. They are a balm to my whole being.
The most important grasp is yours of me, not mine of you, Father. As Jude states, you will keep me from falling away from you. And when I falter, fall, and fail, you pick me up. Thank you, Father.
As hard as it is to imagine, especially in times of weakness, one Day you will present each of your children (including me) before your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. How many times do I have to say that for my heart to really believe it? “Without fault and with great joy.” Jesus is our righteousness, and your joy is our strength, Father. Hallelujah, many times over.
With myriads of angels and countless believers I proclaim on this April Tuesday, “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Trusting in the perfect obedience Jesus lived for us, the death he offered for us as the Lamb of God, and the life he now lives in us as his beloved Bride, we will finish flourishing… without fault and with great joy—without fault and with great joy. Yes! A thousand times, Yes! So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ grace-full and glorious name.