In His presence

In His presence

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body,
and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:8 Holman Bible

My friend Al recently suffered the loss of a grandchild. It is not such a radical idea to suggest that the child is now enjoying the presence of Christ himself. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." (Matthew 19:14).

Now, what is a more radical idea is for an adult to leave this world and be present with the Lord. As grown-ups we have already done, said and thought enough things to be excluded from any audience with God. And yet, Christ gives weight to this far-reaching proposal by saying to a hardened criminal that, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Even more recent was the passing of a dear brother in the faith at my church. To speak with Brother Aaron was to find one’s self inevitably talking about the faithfulness of God. Now if you were to ask me if he is present with the Lord, then I would say “Yes” based on his faith in Christ. And I’ll go further and say that like Al’s grandchild, Brother Aaron is also at peace, filled with joy and overflowing with praise. Here’s the thing though, one day we will all gain an audience with God. But the manner in which you approach His throne is up to you. You can stand before God searching your mind for a loophole or vainly hoping that you have some kind of righteousness that far exceeds that of Christ’s blood. Or the other option is to start trusting, believing and obeying Jesus Christ and the entire word of God so that when you approach the throne you can do so with confidence. And not a confidence in yourself, but assurance in what Christ has already done for you.