Come Just as you Are

Are you a murderer, a thief, or a hooker? Do you feel that you did something that God cannot forgive? I want to tell you that nothing is too hard for God. 

 Most people are not any of these things.  Some may enjoy gossip and running people down.  Or lie just a little bit, or seethe with jealousy, carry a load of resentment, or hate someone who did us wrong in the past. 

Murder or hatred, lies or gossip, murder or robbery are all the same in God’s eyes.  Romans 3:23 in the Bible promises that all sins are forgiven when you turn to God.  He no longer remembers the bad stuff but sees a new creation.

 Many people think of God as an imaginary, invisible friend in the sky. I had a vision of God as a very old man with a long white beard throwing lightning volts while sitting in a cloud.  In an adult Sunday school class, I remember someone talking about a personal relationship with God.  I wondered how such a thing was possible but said nothing.

 Do you feel like you would have to change if you accepted Jesus as Lord of your life? Perhaps you plan to get around to it sometime, when things are different and you clean up your act.  I used to think the same thing. I knew I had no will power and could never live a perfect life.  I never knew that once you invite God into your life that He changes you.

Jesus wants you to come just as you are with all your sins, faults, and good points too.  How do I know this?  The Bible is full of stories about His relationships with people. 

 In John 8:11, Jesus forgives a woman caught in adultery.  Stoning was the penalty for that crime in those days. A group of men asked Jesus if they should throw rocks at her until she was dead.  He said that the man without sin could cast the first stone.  One by one the angry men slipped away, all had sinned.   He told the woman to go and sin no more.

In Mark 2:15-17, Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors, which angered the people.  “Did you see that Jesus eating with sinners?  How dare he do that?” they might have said. Jesus told them that those who are sick are the ones who require a doctor, not those who are well.  

 Romans 3:23 says,  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  The good news is that God forgives those who turn to Him. It is not too late.  Just come as you are.

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