Welcome as you are

When Christ came to earth, he was the division between the pompously proud and the humbly repentant. His purpose was to welcome into his family those who loved and sought the truth of God with a humble, open heart. No finery required.

No matter how much we want to dress up and present ourselves seamless and flawless to become acceptable, God sees the true thread of our character, and no amount of starched collars or polished buttons will cover our sins. Only the blood of Jesus.

Consider what the Lord has accomplished to welcome you into his family and know that as a son or daughter of God, truly you are loved and accepted through the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross. Nothing more, nothing less.

There’s no pretense with God. We don’t need to dress up for the Lord. Out of respect, we want to present ourselves clean when we come to church as members of a civil society. But remember, if you don’t have anything but the clothes on your back, the welcome mat to the Lord’s house is still free for you to set your foot upon. The Lord does not turn away anyone who comes knocking. By his blood, we are all cleansed of our filth in the precious blood of Jesus. 

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” ~ Romans 15:7