IT’S OKAY TO COME AS YOU ARE

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.“

Matthew 11:28

Our passage today lends credence to the fact that the Lord’s arms are widely open to receive all who come, no matter the baggage they come with.

He will embrace you and love you as you are—with your weaknesses, sins, shameful secrets, all of it. That is why it is usually a mistake to try and shy away from God because you believe a holy God cannot possibly want you in all your uncleanliness. He want you and does not require that you do some cleaning up BEFORE you come to Him. This act is futile anyway since a man cannot cleanse himself no matter how hard he tries. So, never give in to the temptation to stand back because you feel dirty. It’s okay to come as you are. His love for you does not lessen one bit because of that. So, come.

However, what we must not do as Christians is to believe that God will accept us if we remain as we are/were AFTER we have come to Him. That is simply not true. As shown in the passage, the whole result of coming to Jesus with your baggage is that He takes it off you and gives you His peace and rest in exchange. There is a transaction that occurs when you come. He takes the dirt off you and cleanses you. That is what an encounter with Jesus looks like.

Therefore, to continue to say that Jesus loves you as you are, and use that as an excuse to continue in the way of sin AFTER you come to Jesus is a big error. The love of Jesus does not just accept, it cleanses, it purges, and it makes whole. Do not fall prey to tales of a love that adores you so much that it lets you continue in sin because it accepts every part of you. IT IS SIMPLY A LIE!

Jesus will accept you as you are, but He will NEVER leave you as you are. So, when coming to Jesus, be ready to go through some transformation.

Prayer

1. Lord help me not be deceived by an emotional gospel that tells of a love that adores but does not heal.

2. Father, give me the grace to live fully in the exchanged life you have provided me.

3. Father, my heart is so unclean, please cleanse me thoroughly and take away every stubbornness that hinders me from remaining in your presence.

This is our first message for today. May this message bless you on your spiritual journey. Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and click here for more resources to aid in your spiritual growth.

Have a pleasant day!