There is no ‘Back of the Line’ with God

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Ephesians 2:13, ” But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. “

Background

I was at my son’s baseball tryouts a couple weeks ago, and the first thing they did was evaluate the kids’ hitting. So they lined them up outside the batting cage and gave each of them several swings to see how they would do. When that was over, the boy from the end of the line was standing beside me before they began the next drill, and I heard him say how he wished he could change his last name so he wouldn’t always be the last one to go. Apparently they were lined up alphabetically, as we usually are, and he had gotten his customary spot at the back of the pack. I can remember back in school how excited some kids would get when the teacher would finally call on us from the end of the alphabet instead of the letter ” A. ” It didn’t make much difference to me since my name was near the middle, but those W’s, Y’s and Z’s sure did love it. They finally got to go from the very end of the line to right up front.

Application

Now, in a small way, that transposition from the back of the line to the front is a fitting picture of where we were and where we are with God. If you have sat through a graduation ceremony waiting for the last couple letters to be called, you know what it means to be far off. You sit there forever as one Johnson and one Smith after another cross the stage, seemingly multiplying before your eyes. But finally, the moment arrives, and there is excitement. That is a glimpse of being brought near by the blood of Christ. That is the prodigal son, when he was far off, seeing his father run towards him with compassion and fall on his neck and kiss him. That is the transformation of going from having no hope to being accepted and loved. In our daily lives, we can lose sight of where we are, having gotten used to being at the front of the line. We can drift away like the prodigal son, and think our far off is too far for Him. We’re afraid we’ll come over the hill, and He won’t be there looking for us. But He is, and always will be. His blood never washes away. We never have to be far off again. His Son promised it.

Charge

As we seek Him today, remember that there is no line to get to God, only a spot for you before His very throne. Bask in the warmth of being loved and brought near from however far you once were. If you need to, turn around so you can see Him reaching out for you again. He loves you so much.