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Showing posts with label God's acceptance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's acceptance. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

I Know God Loves Me but Does He Like Me?


What an intriguing question.  Have you ever thought about it?  Maybe your mind drifts to how you think God thinks about you.  "God tolerates me".  "God loves me but He has to because He is God."  "God is mostly disappointed with me." "God is going to get me one day."  "God is disinterested in me." "God is impossible to please."  "How could God like me?  I mess up so much!" Etc.
Let's start with something more basic first.  Does God like me?  Several years ago, a young lady went through our Advanced Discipleship Training.  The very last day of the training, she joined us for our "graduation" lunch where we celebrate all that God has done in each of the students.  When she came into the room, all of us were immediately stunned by the glow on her face and her big smile.  We asked her why she was so happy.  She said, "I've known for a long time that God loved me but today I realized for the first time He likes me"!
You see, God does like all of us who are in Christ.  Why? It is because He accepts us.  I was speaking to a group of pastors and Christian counselors several years ago.  I was sharing this same truth about how God accepts us.   When I finished, I fielded questions from the audience.  One astute man in the audience asked me, "If God accepts us as Christians, how does He feel about those who are not Christians?"  I quickly replied, "It is obvious from the Bible that God loves those who are not Christians but He does not accept them."  You see, God only accepts those who are righteous.  And the only righteous people in the world are those in Christ!  (Romans 5:19)
        Think about it for a moment, God not only loves you.  He likes you.  Let me make sure you understand.  You cannot make God like you less through disobedience.  You cannot make God like you more through obedience.  I have had some people say, "If that is true then I can just go out and sin all I want.  Right?" Their question is intended to prove that this can't be correct that God loves us and likes us regardless of our behavior.  That's why it is called "grace".  The answer to their question is answered in that He will love and like us even if we sin. BUT, who would want to displease our God who feels that way about us!  Spend some time pondering over Romans 5:19 this week that speaks the truth that God not only loves you, He likes you.

Live Free In Christ, 

Maulding, President and Founder 
GraceLifeInternational.com

All Content Copyrighted © 2012 Mark Maulding



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Does God Really Accept Us Unconditionally?

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 lives who can meet this need for us completely. 
However, God is able to accept all those who are in Christ through faith.  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, 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 our sinner identity with a righteous identity. 
2nd 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 perfect character in exchange for our sin.  This does not mean He gave us His deity though.  We are and will always be humans.
God's gift of righteousness is the reason He can accept you.  This has made you 100% acceptable to Him!  You can't diminish that righteousness by sinning nor increase it through obedience.  I urge you to believe it, because you will be in agreement with God's Word. 



Be Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President Founder 
Grace Life International  www.GraceLifeInternational.com