The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"The Throne of Grace"
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, to obtain mercy, and to find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
We can and must come with confidence unto our Lord for the initiation of relationship with Him, or His provision of ongoing fellowship as His trusting sons and daughters in the Lord Jesus Christ. As imperfect beings seeking to approach pristine and infinite Perfection, this seems to present the most daunting of challenges.
"Your sins have separated between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2).
The Lord Jesus, of course, serves as the glorious means where we may come to God in the new birth, and in the fellowship we have with Him as believers. The former welcome to unbelievers means the Gospel beckons with a message of hope to all. God has made a way for those who have obviously ruined their lives with degradation leading to despair, or those who have not so obviously ruined their lives with the pride of accomplishment. The way to the throne is barred to all who seek to come by any way other than grace. The broken must not believe they are too far gone. The proud must not believe they have risen too high.
For believers seeking to walk with God in faith and obedience, frequent journeys to the throne serve as the means whereby we access grace not for salvation already provided, but for the life to which God call us. "Let us have grace, that we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear" (Hebrews 12:28). We must have conscious communion with our Heavenly Father, seeking Him in prayer, in His Word, in fellowship with other Christians, and in the expectation of meeting Him along the pathways of providence in countless ways and means. We will require both "mercy" and "grace to help in time of need" as we come to the throne. We will find it as we come in humility and faith. God loves to strengthen us for our walk with Him - "be strong in the Lord and in power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10. He also loves to forgive and cleanse us in times that we fall, but arise nevertheless in confidence of His forgiveness and cleansing - "He delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18). Little wonder the writer of Hebrews declares that we may come "boldly," certainly not implying arrogance, but rather confidence in the fact that we can come.
Most of all, we do well to remember that we may come to the throne of grace because that throne was long ago barred to the Lord Jesus when He cried our in agony and brokenhearted loneliness, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). We come confidently, based solely on the person and work of our Savior. In our best moments, we approach the throne through Christ alone. In our worst moments, the way to the throne remains open as we come in repentance, confession, and faith. Indeed, we come to the only throne that could beckon us. Were it a throne of works, no access. Were it a throne of diligence, no access. Where it a throne of obedience, no access. Were it a throne of sincerity, best effort, or consistency, no access. Only a throne of grace, based solely on who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done, can justifiably beckon us to come. And it does. "Come boldly" speaks the Holy Spirit from the royal seat of freely given relationship and fellowship with God through the Lord Jesus. In the light of such grace and mercy, may the footprints of our hearts repeatedly mark the path leading to this most blessed of destinations.
A trail of Blood marks the path
leading to the throne,
where God receives the trusting heart
approaching by His Son.
Without the cross, there could not be
this access freely known.
Without such sorrow, pain, and loss,
we'd have nowhere to go.
Yes, every prayer flows to the Throne
on flood tides of Christ's blood.
We come with grateful, trusting hope,
in wonder of such love…
A trail of Blood marks the path leading to the Throne.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by who we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
(Romans 5:1-2)
Weekly Memory Verse
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
(I Peter 5:8)
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