Come As You Are... Then He Makes You New
Good morning SW Family,
You know what the world tells us?
"Grow up first. Get cleaned up first. Be better first. THEN God will love you."
But that’s not what Jesus said.
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are tired and struggling, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
That’s where we start. Salvation is when we come to Him just as we are. Tired, sick, broken, burdened....even in our sinful state. And He says "I’ve got you. You’re Mine now."
But here’s the beautiful part... He doesn’t leave us there.
That’s sanctification.
Big word, simple meaning: Sanctification is God making us more like Jesus, a little bit at a time.
It’s not YOU trying harder to be good.
It’s GOD, living in you, changing you from the inside out.
Think of it like this:
1. Salvation = God rescues you out of the mud.
2. Sanctification = God washes you off, gets the mud off your hands, teaches you to walk clean, and walks with you every day to guide you alone each day.
Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path."
God's Word is what lights the next step. We don't have to see the whole road. Just the next step. And He walks it with us.
He doesn’t say "grow up first, then I’ll love you." He says, "Come As You Are... and I will love you so much that you’ll WANT to grow."
That’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve seen God change prostitutes and they never went back.
I’ve seen alcoholics set free.
I’ve seen people who were suicidal find hope and a brand new life in Christ.
That’s not willpower. That’s Jesus.
Other gods demand that you clean yourself up first. But Jesus Christ? He meets us right where we’re at. And then He loves us too much to leave us there wandering alone.
So don’t be discouraged today if you’re still struggling. Sanctification is a journey. It’s one step, one prayer, one "yes Lord" at a time.
Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross. He gives us the power to resist sin. And when we ask for forgiveness, He forgives us right then and there, and remembers your sins no more. Then he sends his Holy Spirit to live inside you to help and guide you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. You have now gone from condemnation that sin had placed on you, to a brand new and fresh beginning in Christ and have inherited eternal life as a child of God. John 3:16, 17
Now, we just rest in Him while He finishes the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us.... As He Created a new heart and life, a new beginning for us. Philippians 1:6
He’s not mad at you. He’s not tired of you. He’s walking with you. To help, and guide you, all the way.
Come As You Are.
And watch what He does.
I praise God for that transformation and Him.
- LadyGrace ♥
You know what the world tells us?
"Grow up first. Get cleaned up first. Be better first. THEN God will love you."
But that’s not what Jesus said.
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are tired and struggling, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
That’s where we start. Salvation is when we come to Him just as we are. Tired, sick, broken, burdened....even in our sinful state. And He says "I’ve got you. You’re Mine now."
But here’s the beautiful part... He doesn’t leave us there.
That’s sanctification.
Big word, simple meaning: Sanctification is God making us more like Jesus, a little bit at a time.
It’s not YOU trying harder to be good.
It’s GOD, living in you, changing you from the inside out.
Think of it like this:
1. Salvation = God rescues you out of the mud.
2. Sanctification = God washes you off, gets the mud off your hands, teaches you to walk clean, and walks with you every day to guide you alone each day.
Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path."
God's Word is what lights the next step. We don't have to see the whole road. Just the next step. And He walks it with us.
He doesn’t say "grow up first, then I’ll love you." He says, "Come As You Are... and I will love you so much that you’ll WANT to grow."
That’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve seen God change prostitutes and they never went back.
I’ve seen alcoholics set free.
I’ve seen people who were suicidal find hope and a brand new life in Christ.
That’s not willpower. That’s Jesus.
Other gods demand that you clean yourself up first. But Jesus Christ? He meets us right where we’re at. And then He loves us too much to leave us there wandering alone.
So don’t be discouraged today if you’re still struggling. Sanctification is a journey. It’s one step, one prayer, one "yes Lord" at a time.
Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross. He gives us the power to resist sin. And when we ask for forgiveness, He forgives us right then and there, and remembers your sins no more. Then he sends his Holy Spirit to live inside you to help and guide you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. You have now gone from condemnation that sin had placed on you, to a brand new and fresh beginning in Christ and have inherited eternal life as a child of God. John 3:16, 17
Now, we just rest in Him while He finishes the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us.... As He Created a new heart and life, a new beginning for us. Philippians 1:6
He’s not mad at you. He’s not tired of you. He’s walking with you. To help, and guide you, all the way.
Come As You Are.
And watch what He does.
I praise God for that transformation and Him.
- LadyGrace ♥
