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The need for acceptance is an incredibly powerful driving force in us humans. In Greek fraternities pledges endure all sorts of hazing in order to be accepted into the fraternity. In street gangs the rituals are much worse; some even require you to kill a person in order to gain their acceptance.
What about God? What do we as believers have to DO to gain His acceptance? Eph 1:5-6 in the KJV provides the awesome answer. It reads: “(God) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He MADE US accepted in the Beloved.”
So what do we have to do? We believe in Jesus, and incredibly that same sonship comes to us: now we are even seated WITH HIM in heavenly places, Eph 2:6. That’s GOD for you, my friend. It is something HE DID FOR US. “IN THE BELOVED!” As believers are IN Christ Jesus, and IN HIM acceptable to GOD! Hallelujah!
Acceptance in the world is so different! There we have to perform. Shine. Play by someone else’s rules. Conform to their standards or face rejection. And man-made religion is no different. It’s the same kind of performance based acceptance. It is based on the same evil concept that says you have to work to make yourself acceptable and pleasing to God. Nonsense.
Man-made religion burns you out. It perpetuates human sacrifice. Think about it: your life, or your spouse, your children…sacrificed on the altar of acceptance.
Understand me, the love of God is not for sale. You cannot buy it or perform for it. His acceptance and approval is a free gift that comes through Christ alone, by grace alone! Remember, Eph 1:6 says HE MADE US ACCEPTED!
Jesus refused to play the acceptance game. He shocked everyone – there were rules that disqualified people from approaching God. Rules about ethnicity, behavior, gender, and health. If you happened to be a sinful foreign woman with leprosy in Jesus’ day you had 4 strikes against you, my friend! But Jesus accepted sinful people. And foreigners. And women. And lepers.
We talk about the need to accept Jesus, but understand, Jesus accepts all who come to Him. That’s even more important. Law based religion will disqualify you, and you’ll have to perform for those who call the shots. But truly, it is Jesus who has qualified you my friend, it is a gift by God’s grace, not your performance. Today, share this good news of acceptance in the belovedimage, and help others —— COME ALIVE!
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