Rom 5:1-2
NLT - "Therefore, since we have been
made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what
Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has
brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we
confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory."
We have
gained access, we do not deserve, to God's amazing grace through what Jesus
Christ did for us. God’s grace not only
gives us the unmerited free gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation,
it also gives us the right and the empowerment to be children of God. We should not fear punishment from God when
we acknowledge our sins to him and admit to our wrongs. As we stand on faith in what Jesus did for us
and lean on God’s grace, we grow closer to and learn more about who God is and
who he wants us to be. His grace
empowers us to live as sons and daughters of God, rise above our natural human
ability and live in this world as Jesus did.
Eph 3:12
NLT - "Because of Christ and our
faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his
glad welcome."
Thanks to
Christ we may approach God directly with freedom and confidence through
prayer. We are his children and he wants
a relationship with us. Prayer is our
way to talk to him. It is not just asking
God to do something for us or something we want. It is our way to relate to and communicate with God. Because of Christ we can approach him
comfortably and in confidence.
Heb 4:16
NLT - "So let us come boldly to the
throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find
grace to help us when we need it."
God loves
us and really wants to help us. He wants
us to live abundant lives on this earth and knows we need his help. We can boldly seek his help for ourselves and
for others. We know that what seems
impossible to us is possible through Him and His grace. We should approach him with reverence and
bold assurance knowing he is also our Friend and Counselor.
Heb
10:19-22 NLT sums this up well. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, we
can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This
is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred
curtain, by means of his death for us. And since we have a great High Priest
who rules over God's people, let us go right into the presence of God, with
true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled
with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure
water."
So when we
are told to fear the Lord, it really means we are to revere Him and see Him
with great awe. We are not to be timid
and afraid as if facing some great menace who only wants to punish us. Proverbs 14:26 NIV says, "He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children
it will be a refuge."
Are you
still running with the world and feeling insecure? Are you afraid that whatever you have done in
life before disqualifies you from accepting Christ and experiencing God’s love
and grace? Think again. Jesus wants you to be his friend and He wants
to help you in all that you need. He is
the way to a secure life where we have nothing to be afraid of. Who would not want such a great Counselor on
their side?