O my soul,

How on earth will you walk before the Lord and be blameless?

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face.

― Genesis 17:1-3a

Recall why Abraham fell on his face. Despite holding that impossible promise from the Lord for all those years, his life had been defined by cowardice and lies and failure and shame. He was at this time living with the consequence of having tried to fulfil that promise in his own strength, by fathering a child with the slave-girl Hagar. And I’m quite sure he enjoyed that at the time, having sex with the youthful Egyptian slave-girl rather than his ancient wife. But not now. Not when confronted with his sin and his shame and his failure by the Holy God.

After thirteen long years of living with the mess of that shameful failure all together in close proximity in that dysfunctional household,

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.”

― Genesis 17:1

Abraham was overwhelmed by his own sin and shame and wretchedness, and when confronted by the holiness of God and his command, “Walk before me, and be blameless,” he fell on his face. There is nothing else he could have done.

And whatever your situation, whatever shameful failure lies in your own past, and whatever the stumbling in more recent times, this is also addressed to you. It is exactly that to which each one of us is called.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

― Ephesians 1:3-4

This has been chosen for you, but how on earth will you walk before this Holy God yourself and be holy and blameless? You must do this if you would enjoy his strong support!

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

― 2 Chronicles 16:9a

But isn’t this all too much to ask of an unholy people? By no means!

Firstly, the Creator God of the Universe chose each one of us in Christ, even before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him. He chose you for this and he chose me. You and I both must surrender to the choice of the one who is wise and strong and who knows how to achieve his plans and purposes.

Listen to Job’s profession of faith after he had been confronted by the overwhelming greatness and majesty of God.

Then Job answered the LORD and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

― Job 42:1-2

The same overwhelmingly great and majestic God has a purpose for you and for me both, that we should be holy and blameless before him. So cry out to him along with the psalmist.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me.

― Psalm 57:2

And do not think you can resist the irresistible.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

― Proverbs 19:21

So you must surrender your life to the Holy Spirit as he does his sanctifying work in you. Resistance is futile.

But how? How can unholy creatures be made holy? The answer is found only in Jesus.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

― Colossians 1:21-23

He has reconciled each one to himself in Christ’s body and by his death in order to present each one holy and blameless and above reproach before him. So do not shift from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, but which may not just now be in the forefront of your mind. Make it so!

But how? How can we become holy, even according to his purposes? His strong and sure work of grace in our lives? If you desire this end, you must set your heart upon it. But isn’t it all just too hard? Doesn’t it seem to be?

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

― Romans 7:18

This is what I am up against. So how then can I co-operate with the Spirit of Christ in being transformed and made holy? Simply by noticing this: the strong connection between blamelessness and love.

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

― 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

May the Lord himself make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all precisely so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father. Oh my!

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

― Philippians 1:9-11

Love that abounds more and more is the way to become pure and blameless for the day of Christ, and also quite remarkably how to fulfil the law.

Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

― Romans 13:10

It is the power of love that will transform each one, and this fruit of righteousness comes only through Jesus. So set your course with determination to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

And even as you wait on the Lord, even as you cry out to him through these long years of waiting, walk before him and be blameless.

I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.

― Psalm 101:1-2

Can you hear the waiting and the longing here? Oh when will you come to me?

But above all, know that you will only be able to do any of this because of Jesus.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

― Jude 1:24-25

O my soul, even in the waiting time, even in the heartbreak and the desperate longing, ensure to increase and abound in love, and so walk before him and be blameless! 🙏