JUST AS YOU ARE

If you were to die tonight, do you believe God would accept you as you are?

If you can answer yes to that question, ask yourself the next logical question, and answer it as honestly as you can. What is that next question?

Are you able to accept yourself just as you are?

Faith isn't "believing in God". Faith is beliieving God is right. Faith is a relationship between you and He. Faith is acceptance, and trust.

So, are you able to accept yourself just as you are? Or would you fix a few things first?

Last night, for a moment, I almost asked God to wait until He takes me, so that I can be further along with Him before I meet Him face to face. I stopped myself, and had to wonder, "Is that really what I believe? Is that really what I want?"

Several years ago, I would have said "yes". Now, I don't know. I do know that there are times I hate myself, and the way that I am. There are times I am so aware of how wrong I act, and all I can do is run to God. I can't hide, I know that. And I don't want to hide, because I don't want to be in the self-imposed prison I make. I want to be free, and I only know how to get there through Jesus.

But this flesh, it betrays me. It is my flesh, and I claim it. But that doesn't mean I agree with it's lusts and desires all of the time. There are some things about my flesh that are just downright bad, and no amount of justifying it makes any difference. Honestly, there are times I long to escape this flesh forever. Those are the times I do not accept myself, as God accepts me.

So my answer to that question is, "Not all of the time".

Not all of the time do I accept myself as God accepts me. Sometimes, I want to run away from me. But Jesus would have dinner with a fellow like me, this I know. I can't tell you in words how that is making me feel at this very moment. I am accepted, even if I don't always accept myself.

There is no other God in this world who stakes His claim to us like our Father. Search the world and its religions if you choose, but no god is like our God. Go ahead. I dare you. Just try to find a god who accepts you just as you are in any of the world's religions.

My God accepts you. He wants to dine with you tonight. Nothing you have done will cancel this invitation. The world tries to tell us that we are loved just the way we are, but we are certainly not loved by the world like this. But maybe the world, through its ignorance, is actually telling the truth, because there is one who loves you just as you are, and His name is Jesus.

He doesn't want you to dance. He doesn't want you to sing. He doesn't want you to work. He wants you to eat, and He wants to eat with you, forever. So whether you can accept yourself or not, know that He accepts you, that He will dine with you, just as you are.