In our ministry, we have asked many Christians, through the years, if they grew up feeling loved. The majority have answered in the affirmative. The next question, though, is often answered differently. Let me ask you that question. "Did you feel accepted growing up?" Think about that for a minute. I am not asking if people said they accepted you. The question is, "Did you 'feel' accepted?"
One of the deep God-given needs of the human heart is to feel accepted. Acceptance is the unconditional part of love. It means that when someone accepts us, there are no conditions upon that acceptance. We can't mess it up by making a mistake, committing a sin or failing.
There is no human being in our life who can meet this for us completely. However, God is able to accept all those who are in Christ. The question is "Why does He accept us?" Is it simply because He is kind, merciful and full of grace so that He overlooks our faults and sins? While He is all of these and more, there is another very important reason. He accepts who we are in Christ. It is because through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, He has made all of us who have faith in His son, 100% righteous!
What is righteousness? It means to be right, to be perfect, and to be perfect in character. God's righteousness is the perfection of all of His character. Amazingly, through our faith in His Son, God removes the unrighteousness of our past, present and future sins. He also replaces the identity we were born with as being a sinner, with a new creation identity of being righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it this way, "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Wow! Do you see the divine exchange which occurred? Jesus Christ became our sin on the cross and we became as righteous as God! That is, God gave us His righteousness in exchange for our sin. Which one do you focus on more? Your sin or God's gift of righteousness?
God's gift of righteousness is the reason He can can accept you. How much of God's righteousness did He give you? 80%? 95%? No! He gave us 100%! This has made you 100% acceptable to Him! You can't diminish that gift of righteousness by sinning nor increase it through obedience, because the basis of this gift is not based on our work, but Jesus' work.
This is why we have peace with God. This is why we can come before Him boldly without fear of rejection. This is the reason we can be intimate with God.
I urge you to take a moment and tell the Lord you believe it. You may not feel it nor see it being lived out in your life as you would want it to be, but in believing it by faith, you will be in agreement with God's Word, which is our final authority for what is true.
You are loved! Believe it. Receive it. Live in it.
Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding
One of the deep God-given needs of the human heart is to feel accepted. Acceptance is the unconditional part of love. It means that when someone accepts us, there are no conditions upon that acceptance. We can't mess it up by making a mistake, committing a sin or failing.
There is no human being in our life who can meet this for us completely. However, God is able to accept all those who are in Christ. The question is "Why does He accept us?" Is it simply because He is kind, merciful and full of grace so that He overlooks our faults and sins? While He is all of these and more, there is another very important reason. He accepts who we are in Christ. It is because through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, He has made all of us who have faith in His son, 100% righteous!
What is righteousness? It means to be right, to be perfect, and to be perfect in character. God's righteousness is the perfection of all of His character. Amazingly, through our faith in His Son, God removes the unrighteousness of our past, present and future sins. He also replaces the identity we were born with as being a sinner, with a new creation identity of being righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it this way, "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Wow! Do you see the divine exchange which occurred? Jesus Christ became our sin on the cross and we became as righteous as God! That is, God gave us His righteousness in exchange for our sin. Which one do you focus on more? Your sin or God's gift of righteousness?
God's gift of righteousness is the reason He can can accept you. How much of God's righteousness did He give you? 80%? 95%? No! He gave us 100%! This has made you 100% acceptable to Him! You can't diminish that gift of righteousness by sinning nor increase it through obedience, because the basis of this gift is not based on our work, but Jesus' work.
This is why we have peace with God. This is why we can come before Him boldly without fear of rejection. This is the reason we can be intimate with God.
I urge you to take a moment and tell the Lord you believe it. You may not feel it nor see it being lived out in your life as you would want it to be, but in believing it by faith, you will be in agreement with God's Word, which is our final authority for what is true.
You are loved! Believe it. Receive it. Live in it.
Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding
