The Question: “Does God accept me as I am?”

The Answer: “Yes, he does!”

God acted first. There was nothing we did that moved him to respond. All of us, like everyone else, can be recipients of God’s love by his grace alone. If we don’t come to God as we are, we are denying the truth of why God acted through his Son Jesus to save us in the first place.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Fix yourself,” and then come follow me. He invites his disciples to follow him as they are so that they can find peace and rest.

We need to be cleansed of our sins: both those done in the past and in the present. God promises to forgive us if we confess our sin. Hiding our sin only brings shame and further separation from God.

We can get washed by the blood of Jesus only if we come to God as we are and confess our sins openly and honestly.

Christ changes everything: you are no longer the same. You can come as you are, but you can’t leave as you were. You are “new”; let the old things be left behind.