Kept From Stumbling.

     Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and forevermore. Amen.
                                             Jude 1:24-25

     What a wonderful promise to us, that God Himself will bring us safely home, to stand in His glorious presence, complete in Him, beyond reproach. In this life, we travel a dangerous road, with temptations and trials on every side. The world seeks to draw our hearts away from our Lord, with all of its vanity and pride. Yet we see in this and other numerous scriptures, that in Christ we have all we need to remain free from spot or stain. In Christ we have the power to overcome temptations. His grace is more than enough for every need, to those who through faith, are made partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).
     Able to keep us from stumbling! He will set us before His presence, without blemish. This is the overcoming life. We were once mired in sin, unable to change. But through Christ, we are now free. We can live upright lives, beyond reproach. We can know what it means to have a clean conscience; to be able to lay down in sleep without our hearts condemning us. What a blessed thing, to be so guarded by Jesus Christ.
     He has called us to live holy, upright lives. Faithful is He that has called us, and faithful is to do it (1 Thess 5:23-24)!

A Patient Trust.

     My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him.
     He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
     With God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
                                          Psalm 62:5-7

     It can be difficult to wait in silence for God when in the midst of difficult circumstances. We tend to want to do things our way, and in our own time. 
     We can learn a lesson from the life of Abram. The promise of an heir seemed our of reach, so at Sarai's urging, he took Hagar, his wife's servant, and she conceived and bore him Ishmael. However he was not to be the child of the promise. By taking matters into their own hands, instead of trusting in God, they faced some unwelcome consequences to their actions (Genesis 16:1-15, 21:8-21).
     True faith is a faith that endures, even in silence, when it seems that God is not doing anything. If we hold fast, we will see the salvation of the Lord. He is indeed a rock and a high tower of defense for those who wait for Him.