Dad, here she is!

I've recently started doing my devotions with an online tool. If you want to check it out, the site is www.examen.me . I really like it because it gives me some structure with my reading, and it prompts me to do more than just read my passage, close my Bible, and then set it back in its place...usually at this time, I've already forgotten what I read. It provides a space to pray before reading, a place to read, write, summarize, or listen to the passage, a place to reflect on how God is reavealing Himself to me, then write a prayer to God based on what I read, and finally to write how I can adjust my attitudes, actions, or choices based on the passage. It probably isn't for everyone, but I've really enjoyed it as I've felt God's word become more real and go deeper into my heart. Today I read Colossians 1, and I really want to share with you something God showed me. Now I'm no Bible wiz, and if you read a commentary on this passage, I could be way off, but I think there is something here for me. Colossians 1:21-22 says this, "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him." (ESV). The KJV uses the word unreproveable, which means "that cannont be called into account, unaccused" (Strong's), instead of 'above reproach'. Anyway, because of this new reading tool I'm using, I'm forced to meditate on what I read. For some reason these verses caught my eye. If I'm not mistaken, it is saying that Christ, through His death, has made us able to be presented to God the Father. It literally makes me think of a boy bringing home his future bride to present her to his dad. I can picture a young man walking through the door, holding it open for his love, a smile beaming from ear to ear and saying, "Dad, here she is. Isn't she amazing?!" That is what Christ has done for us! Not only does He want His Father to know us and meet us, but through His death we can stand before this perfect, possibly intimidating Father, and be completely blameless, holy, and any of our wrongs not even able to be called into acount. Because of Jesus we cannot be accused. Just for a second, think of the worst sin you have ever committed. Maybe it is something that you were so ashamed of and took quite some time to confess, repent, accept forgiveness and be freed from. Now, think about telling it to your dad. Picture yourself standing there in front of him, with your mouth open, just trying to find the words to tell this hideous deed. Right as you begin to speak, someone walks up and says, "you don't have to say anything, there's nothing to confess." Now, you might be thinking, Amy, of course we have to confess. Yes we do, but when we have accepted Christ and are in Him, we hold the position of the innocent. Paul didn't stutter when he said holy, blameless, and unreproveable. Jesus loves God so much that He was willing to die that hideous death and become my hideous sin and yours so He could present a bride to the Father that cannot be accused. If I were standing there in front of God with Jesus smiling as He presents me to His Father, I'm thinking I would start arguing like, "no, really, I've done some horrible things, I'm so not holy." Yet, somehow we can stand there without being ashamed. We can stand there in complete humility as Jesus glories in the fact that He reconciled this beautiful bride to the Father. Without Jesus' death and atonement, we would not be able to be presented to the Father at all. I don't know why this spoke to me so much today, but it did. I'm completely in awe that Jesus did this. I know He loves us, but I think He did it because He loves His Father. His ministry of reconciliation is ultimately to glorify His Father.