Lord, I will learn the full meaning of my standing before You. I have gloried in my standing in Christ—justified, accepted in the Beloved. This has been a delicious truth and warming to my heart. But, Lord, You have been talking to me about another kind of standing—standing in my own name.
My standing in Christ means that my sins are forgiven, and this without any work or self-effort of mine. But I also am obliged to stand before You in responsibility, in immediacy, in accountability. Elijah said the Lord was the One before whom I stand (1 Kings 17:1). These words chill me, Lord. They warn me that standing in Christ is not the same as standing before You as a servant. His standing settles the problem of my sin; my standing deals with the matter of discipleship. I cannot possibly excuse myself from the second standing if I claim the first.
How must I stand before You? Blameless! You said to Abraham, I am God Almighty; walk before Me. and be blameless (Genesis 17:1). This is Your ideal for me, Lord. You desire my standing before You to be unblameworthy, that is, characterized only by pure motives. My standing is acceptable to You only if I have clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:4).
I see what this means to me, Lord. You will not tolerate Your children resting in the finished work of Christ in such a way that then lives become sloppy and disgraceful. No, You call us to accountability for the way we live, for the way we use our time, talents, and energy. We are to face the enemy, not fresh from a slugabed’s nap, but fresh from the glistening presence of a holy God. Thank You, Lord, that You encourage us in this: Then will I restore you, and you shall stand before Me (Jeremiah 15:19, Berkeley). The standing is essential, and so is the restoring of God, which makes it possible.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31–32).
Daily with the King 