In the last devotional, I shared about Cain and how he felt rejected when his sacrifice was not accepted by the Lord. The Lord gave him the opportunity to do right, but Cain took his anger out on Abel. Instead of taking responsibility for his wrong, he killed his brother for doing right and being accepted.
We all have a God-given desire to be accepted. Acceptance brings security in our relationships. However, the true acceptance that we are looking for comes from God and does not happen on our terms. The Lord has a standard, and He will not change it or diminish because we don’t agree with it. The world has misconstrued the issue of acceptance, and it tries to tell people that regardless of what they believe and how they live, they should be well-received and accepted.
People used to advocate for tolerance a couple of decades ago. If you were not in agreement with certain habits or lifestyles, you were considered intolerant back then. However, things have changed over time. Being tolerated is not enough anymore. Nowadays, people are demanding inclusion and acceptance. They take it even further by accusing others of hatred towards a certain race, gender, lifestyle just because someone does not condone their actions or lifestyle.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 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. Ephesians 1:3-6
The world has deceived people into thinking that the rejection they feel is due to others’ disapproval of them. The truth is that their real problem is with the Lord and not with people. We all need to be accepted by God. This acceptance is not based on our performance, but it is based on the work of Jesus on the cross. Sin has caused a chasm between us and God. We are aliens to Him until we admit that we are sinners and accept that Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross.
When we admit that we are sinners in need of forgiveness, the Lord opens His arms to us and accepts us into His fold just as the father in the Parable of Prodigal Son received his son. This acceptance is a priceless gift that no money can buy. God adopts us into His family. This brings rest to our spirit and healing to our souls. When we realize that we are accepted in the beloved, our desires begin to change and we want to please the Lord. This is the place of security and love in our relationship with the Lord.
People are on a quest for acceptance, but, unfortunately, they are looking for it in all the wrong places. They are also too confused and distracted with their own desires to understand that being accepted is not something you demand! In addition, true acceptance does not come from people’s agreement nor does it come from changes in civic laws. Those may make someone feel more comfortable temporarily, but man is still lonely and insecure apart from the love of God. People are still orphans in need of the acceptance from Abba Father!
Let’s not get caught up with the world’s definition of acceptance. We all need to find out what God desires in our lives and live at peace with Him. Furthermore, let’s love people by pointing them to Jesus for acceptance. Laws or opinions of others cannot change people’s soul and spirit. It is only in communing with a Holy God that they will come to rest in their souls and be accepted in the beloved!