Out With the Old

Have you ever noticed that we rely on ourselves for far too much? When we want to change something about ourselves; our diet, our attitude, our habits, we tend to think that we need to do it ourselves. I have even heard some people say that they wanted to know more about Jesus, but felt they had to clean up their lives first. 

Religion might work this way, but a relationship with Christ, does not. What I mean by that is that tradition and rules of religion may make you feel unwelcome as you are. Some churches may have rules in place, spoken or unspoken, which make you feel like you can’t step foot in their doors until you’ve cleaned yourself up.

I will often tell myself that I cannot do something, wear something, or go somewhere, until I have lost the weight I need to lose. I will punish myself, withhold fun and rewarding things from myself, for not meeting the self-inflicted requirements, and I believe I can punish my way to my goals. Only this line of thinking never works, because I start off, already feeling defeated. Defeat hangs on my shoulders, because I am already punishing myself for not being where I’d like to be.

That is not Jesus. This is not the life or the journey he has for us. Unyeilding rules, regulations, and traditions, do not represent a rewarding relationship with Jesus. Why do we punish ourselves? He wants to make us new, but we resist His love and acceptance, in exchange for doing it ourselves​. It’s as though we cannot accept the reward, if we’ve accepted help along the way.    

Do you love Jesus? Do you recognize that He is your Savior? 

Then let Him SAVE you.  He is there for you. You were not meant to travel this journey alone. You were not designed to change yourself, by yourself. You do not need to face your faults, your bad habits, or your addictions alone. Jesus does not expect you to clean yourself up before greeting Him. He knows every part of you, every flaw, every fault, every mistake, and He loves you anyway. He just wants you to recognize this, because standing on that truth will change your perspective, and take the weight of your own shoulders.

You are made new, in Him​, and that is enough.