Psalm 19:14 NKJV
[14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Good Morning!
We have a Heavenly Father that accepts us just as we are. When Jesus walked the earth, He did not tell the people to clean themselves up before He would talk to them, heal them, preach to them and accept them. Jesus came that men and women would be set free from the agony of sin. He accepts us just as we are and begins a new work within us from the moment we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
It is then time for us to begin a new lifelong journey of living in a state of acceptance by our creator. It is difficult for a lot of us to feel accepted by anyone, carrying past “baggage” of this life and feeling unaccepted by so many people. But God gives freely His mercy, grace and acceptance as one of His own, a child of God. God’s free gift of grace was provided by Jesus’ death on the cross in place of our sins. By our confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are able to become accepted as His beloved and therefore heirs and children of God’s kingdom.
Galatians 4:7 NKJV
[7] Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
God only requires our committed heart to begin a new work in our lives. With all of our heart, as we rely totally on Him to lead us in this life, we work out our salvation, as Paul says in Philippians 2, with fear and trembling. This type of fear is not the kind of being afraid, but to have reverence for our Lord, yielding to Him for direction and guiding the pathways of our future for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV
[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13] for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 1:6 NKJV
[6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Accepting Others
If God, who is perfect, accepts us in our imperfection, we should accept others in their imperfection and accept them just as they are. The Bible tells us to come, all those who thirst for the water of life. It is an open invitation for everyone. It is not up to us to judge one another, no matter what sin is in their lives, but to love and accept one another and let the job of the Holy Spirit remain to convict others as we pray for their salvation.
As we draw closer to the heart of Our Lord, we begin to understand His ways and have compassion on the lost of this world. We can look at others through the lens of God’s word and instead of judging them, have a heart of acceptance toward them. Think of the people you come in contact with — that pan handler on the corner, the grocery check out clerk, the people you work around and see every day. We can accept them as they are because God accepts us as we are. We are no different. We are not better. We are only saved by His grace and God offers that same grace to them and not willing that anyone would perish.
Let’s let our lights shine brightly showing the world that being a Christian is not division, not judging other, not accusing others of their sin, but merely accepting people just as God accepts them. Then the work of the Holy Spirit will begin a new work in their lives just as He did for us.
Romans 15:7 NIV
[7] Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Proverbs 5:21 TLB
[21] For God is closely watching you, and he weighs carefully everything you do.
Revelation 22:17 NLT
[17] The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV
[13] And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
2 Peter 3:9 NKJV
[9] The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Our time on this earth is short. The difference we can make in one another’s lives can make an eternal difference. Let us all treat each and every day as a gift and not take for granted tomorrow. If there is someone that you are holding a grudge against, if there is someone that you need to make amends with, this is the time. Take the words of our Lord and make peace with them and accept them just as God accepts us.
John 13:34-35 NKJV
[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I love you and am praying for you today!
Dad