a perplexing sign

Church signs can be quite humorous sometimes, sometimes they can be thought provoking, and unfortunately sometimes they just make me shake my head.

"We have better Sunday's than DQ"

"The Wage's of Sin are higher than the price of Gas"

"Sure is hot and without Jesus it will get hotter"

"Turn or burn; eternity smoking or non-smoking"

need i go on?

I saw one this morning, "Success is being able to stand before God unashamed";  though i understand the concept and point they where getting at, it made me curious as to what scripture says about it (hence the sign did its job, it got my attention).

So what Does the Bible say about what happens when we stand before God:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.  2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Is 6:1-5)

"17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.  18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. "(Re 1:17-18, NIV)

Just two (though there are more) sections of scripture that describe what it is like when we stand before God.  There very presence of God is so great and overwhelming that we only stand before Him with humility.  When we stand before the Creater of everything any righteous act or deed we have done, fails to comparison to the greatness of His glory.

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Is 64:6, NIV)

So what IS the sign trying to say to us then?  I would translate the sign as this:  "success is standing before God knowing that I followed Him as much as i could, except when i stumbled over myself, got distracted, or was being an idiot.  However by His grace, I asked for forgiveness and He clothed me with His righteousness, and then i was able to stand before Him unashamed".  (but i guess that is too much to put on a sign)

These are the words I want to hear when I kneel before my KING:

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Mt 25:21, NIV)

Have a blessed day, Chris