Saturday Evening Musing, 02/07/09, by JAH

I. When I stand in God's presence, these are the things I hope never to hear Him speak:
1. I did not send you.
2. You did not speak my words.
3. You are not my servant.
4. I do not know you.

II. I do hope to hear Him say, "Well, done good and faithful servant" In my own eyes I do not deserve that. If it happens, it will be to the glory of Jesus Who died for me.
1. Jeremiah constantly faced enmity from his own people.
2. He stood straight and spoke plainly the Words God gave him.
3. False prophets persecuted him, and considered him a liar.
4. His own people tried to put him to death.
5. In spite of all this, he did not flinch from delivering the truth.

III. Jeremiah knew he would one day stand before God. I believe he never worried about what would happen when he stood in God's presence. I believe that I will not either, even though I can count failure after failure in my life and my work. We are all failures as far as sinless perfection is concerned. Romans 3:23, 24 say, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." People in Old Testament days were saved just as we are, and we just as they are.

IV. I am certainly thankful that I do not have to depend on my own perfection for salvation and a heavenly home with God my Father. I would never even ask for justice in His presence. I want mercy rather than justice, but I need not even ask for that. God has already promised us mercy, and He is just in forgiving us because Jesus, His one and only Son, paid for all of our sins. He completed the transaction when He accepted death on a cross as the one innocent sacrifice His Father required. I feel like I can never stand in the presence of the Holy God, but I can, and will, kneel before my own Loving Father. The old slave preacher John Jasper said the first thing he wanted to do when he got to heaven was fall at Jesus' feet, kiss his feet, and thank Him for saving him. That old white-headed preacher was my spiritual brother, and I look forward to joining him at the feet of Jesus one day with the same intent!

V. Jeremiah quoted God when he said (Jeremiah 29:13), "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord...." Go back and read God's Words in Jeremiah and compare them with the New Testament. They agree if you look at the spiritual rather than the physical.