1 Corinthians 3:13-15 — every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

When you stand before the throne, what will you look like? Are you going to be a humble but confident saint, in robes of white? Or are you going to be something different. Are you, perhaps, going to be ever so slightly singed?
I’ve never been able to see myself in grand robes, riding the horse in the big parade. Somehow I still see myself as the runny-nosed ragamuffin kid looking on from the outside. I suspect a lot of my works will be burned in fire.

It doesn’t really matter how I imagine myself though. What matters is what God sees. There’s a passage in Proverbs that makes the point:

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. (Proverbs 30:12-13)

I like the “Message” translation of the same verses:
Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven’t had a bath in weeks. Don’t be stuck-up and think you’re better than everyone else. (Proverbs 30:12-13 MSG)

I have a feeling that most of us would be surprised at how God sees us, and at how much Jesus loves us. Some people are convinced they are doing a good job following Christ. A lot of us, however, find it a struggle to be the Christians we would like to be, day in day out, no matter what the challenges. That used to really depress me. I’m very blessed though, to have access to a lot of great books. One I found, a few years ago, is “The Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brendan Manning. It’s focus is on God’s grace and His wonderful love for us.

For those who feel there lives are a grave disappointment to God, it requires enormous trust and reckless, raging confidence to accept that the love of Christ knows no shadow of alteration or change.
                     The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brendan Manning.

Seizing hold of that understanding — knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God — is a critical tool to living a free and joyful Christian life. It’s an amazing thing … There will come a day when we will look the way God means us to, the image of His son. There are no ragamuffins in heaven!