Luke 12:8 - "I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God's angels."
I don't know if you're aware of this, but I'm kind of a big deal. To Jesus that is. Now, before you start to think that I'm getting a big head or being obnoxious, YOU are a big deal to Him as well. We all are.
To state the obvious, when Jesus was on earth, He liked to have an audience. While He certainly retreated into seclusion to have intimate quiet time with God, and He definitely spent quality time teaching His disciples, I think He definitely loved to have an audience.
Isaiah told us, and Paul reminded us, that it's not possible for us to fully comprehend just how much God really loves us (Isaiah 64:4; 2 Corinthians 2:9), passages like this one from Luke's Gospel give us an idea. But that's part of the beauty, too - it's just an inkling.
Remember when King Xerxes honored Mordecai (Esther 6). He had Haman put Mordecai on one of the kings horses, wearing one of the kings robes, and paraded him around the fortress shouting that this was what the kind did for someone he wishes to honor (Esther 6:7-11). Couldn't you see Jesus doing that for us in the presences of God's angels in Heaven? I sure could.
In Luke 15, Jesus' parable of the lost coin tells us, "There is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents" (Luke 15:10). Similar to Jesus' parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), Jesus wants to honor us for our steadfast faith in Him.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that when we get to Heaven that it's going to be all about us, because it's not. It's all about our worshiping our Lord and Savior and Creator. But I do believe that there is certainly going to be some celebration and Jesus will honor us for our faith in Him. I think He is excited about honoring us in the presence of the angels. Why is He excited? Because it's in the Bible. To quote a movie I recently saw, "Now those words are in red, so they're important." Reading passages like these ones from Luke 12 and 15 definitely reinforce my love for and encourage my faith in the One who died to save me.
Jesus told us that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13). How do I know that I, and all of us, are a big deal? Because God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17). He orchestrated everything so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with Him. So He could acknowledge and celebrate us in the presence of God's angels. I think that makes us a pretty big deal to Him.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for making everything work together for Your good and perfect plans of redeeming me to You. Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice You gave so that I could spend eternity with You in Heaven. Because You want to acknowledge and celebrate me in Heaven, I will gladly and with a full heart, acknowledge and celebrate You while I'm here on earth to anyone that will hear. I pray for those that believe they are unlovable. For those that believe there is no way You could ever forgive them for what they may have done, much less believe that You would want to save them and bring them to You in Heaven for eternity. I know what it's like, because I have been there myself. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will stir in them and convict their heart to the point that they see that they are wrong. I pray they will finally start to see that You do love them with a love that could never be fully comprehended on this side of Heaven. If I can be used by You to reach out to these people for Your Holy Spirit to work through me, I am Your servant. Let me be a lamp that shines Your glorious light to anyone You choose. In the precious name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I pray this. Amen!
God Bless!!!
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