You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. —Psalm 30:11
MY FRIEND, YOU are favored and accepted by God today because of His unmerited favor. Even if your life is a mess, He can take your mess and make it into something beautiful. Come to Him just as you are.
Years ago, one of my church members suddenly stopped coming to church for a long time. I met up with him to find out how he was doing and to see if everything was alright. He was very honest with me and told me that he was going through a lot of problems in his marriage, and that he was now addicted to alcohol. Then, he said this: “Let me get my life right, then I will come back to church.”
You are made holy, righteous and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you— nothing more and nothing less.
I smiled and asked him, “Do you clean yourself before you take a bath?” I could tell from his expression that he was taken aback by my question, so I told him, “Come as you are to the Lord. He is the bath. He will cleanse you. He will get your life in order for you, and He will cause every addiction to lose its hold on you. You don’t have to use your own efforts to clean yourself before you take a bath!” I am glad to share that this precious brother soon returned to church and Jesus turned his life around. Today, he is happily married, blessed with a beautiful family and is one of my trusted, key leaders. That is what the Lord does when you come to Him as you are, and allow Him to love you into wholeness. He will make all things beautiful in your life.
There are many people today who are like this brother. They want to get their lives together by themselves before they come to Jesus. They are under the impression that they need to make themselves holy before they can step into God’s holy presence. They feel like they are being hypocrites if they don’t sort out their lives first before coming to church. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will never be able to make yourself holy enough to qualify for God’s blessings. You are made holy, righteous and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you— nothing more and nothing less. So stop trying to clean yourself before you go to the Lord. Come to Jesus with all your mess, all your addictions, all your weaknesses and all your failures.
God loves you just as you are. However, He also loves you too much to let you stay the same. My friend, when you come to Jesus, He becomes your “bath.” He will wash you clean, whiter than snow! Jump into the bath today and allow Jesus to make you perfect, righteous and holy in God’s eyes!
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, Your grace saves the worst of us. No matter how messed up my life is, You can turn it around and make it beautiful. I come to You just as I am today, with all my faults and failings. I thank You that You have made me righteous with Your blood and that You are washing me with the water of Your Word and loving me into wholeness once more. Your unmerited favor in my life will remove every addiction and sickness, turn my mourning into rejoicing and fill my heart with Your robust peace!
Today’s Thought
No one cleans himself before taking a bath. So I’ll come to Jesus—the bath—just as I am.
Please remember to share this daily devotion with your friends, and if anyone wants to receive ‘Grace for Today’ directly then please just sign up via our website at www.exchangechurchbelfast.com
Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.