I want to encourage you today that you can come to Jesus just as you are. That one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16, that tells us that “God who so loved the world gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But it starts with “For God who so loved the world.” God was madly in love with the world, and that’s the reason why He sent Jesus. He didn’t send Jesus to come and see if the world was worthy of His love. He didn’t send Jesus to go and test the waters. He was already madly in love with the world, is why He sent Jesus.
And yes, we have fallen short of the glory. We need a Savior, but Jesus knows that, the Father knows that. That’s why He sent his Son. And now that Jesus has come, oftentimes we say yes to Jesus. We get that initial salvation. But the enemy tries to creep in and bring shame and separation. And because we’re all in process, we’ve all fallen short of the glory, we have imperfect moments and imperfect days. That voice tries to tell us, because I’m not perfect today, I can’t come to the Father, I can’t come to Jesus as I am. But Jesus wants to break that lie off of you right now. And He wants to tell you, He wants to invite you again, a fresh invitation, just like when you said yes to Him the first time. He’s saying, come to me as you are.
Jesus isn’t afraid of our weaknesses or shortcomings. He’s not afraid of our junk and He’s not afraid of our mess. He tells us He didn’t come for those who are well, He came for those who are sick. Those who know that they have need and that they need a Savior. And that’s who Jesus is to us. He wants us to come just as we are. This verse in Matthew, 19:24 says “Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” It’s a funny verse, but historians tell us that there is a gate in Jerusalem called Eye Of The Needle, that at night, when the large gate was shut, there was a small gate that was still open for access. And it was so small that a camel had to get down on its knees to crawl through the gate. So what’s God saying? He’s not saying that a rich man can’t get into the kingdom. He’s saying that we need to come in a position of humility and we need to be able to let go of all the baggage and all the junk. But the beautiful thing is we don’t have to get rid of it before we come to Jesus. As we come in humility and say, “God, I need your help. I surrender. I’ve got this stuff, I’ve got this junk. I need your help. Here I am.” As we come like that, by His grace, He is so faithful to help us unload and unpack and to strip off all that isn’t supposed to be there in the first place.
He’s not afraid of our mess. He’s there to help us, take us by the hand, and lead us into His goodness as we come in humility. So I just bless you with the grace and the ability and the encouragement today to come to Jesus just as you are. He’s ready to receive you. I bless you with that in Jesus’ Name.
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