Humanity labors needlessly attempting to find acceptance in life by various natural means. Jesus called all those who labor and weary to come to Him. Jesus’ invitation is the Lord opening His arms of acceptance to bring security and sanity in a confused world. His acceptance also brings life and fruitfulness in our lives.
But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:2
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Our intellectual world has determined that through academic education and reasoning they can figure everything out about life without God. However, that is not true. The Lord is the Creator of heaven and earth, and His design and purpose is what brings meaning to people. We all desire to be accepted and loved. That is not our own idea. It is God’s design and desire for us to be accepted and loved.
When He created Adam and Eve in the garden, He called them good. God was pleased with His creation. The fact that He created man in His own image, it meant we were at the top of the importance in all of His creation. When sin entered the world, it created a chasm in acceptance, and it made humanity insecure searching to find their place in the world.
The Lord in His mercy gave us the solution to the sin problem, which man in His own efforts cannot not achieve. We have a choice to either accept God’s blueprint for acceptance and allow Him to work it in our lives. Or we can reject His acceptance and try to make things happen in our feeble efforts to find security and acceptance. When we accept Gods’ plan, it brings fruitfulness in our lives that we cannot bring any other way.
If there is anything that is clear from the cultural messages of today is that man’s attempt for acceptance has brought further division between man and God and among people. Those who try to be accepted by carnal means, continue to be alienated more and more. They grow weary and discouraged thinking their acceptance has to be based on their race, gender, nationality, sexuality, and so on. Although, they may receive temporary acceptance from like-minded people, it cannot satisfy their hungry hearts aching for God’s acceptance.
On the other hand, Jesus’ message of love and redemption is a unifying message that brings people to the Lord and reconciles people to each other. God’s message is a message of repentance and accepting Jesus as our Savior who died for our sins. This gives us the opportunity to become born again and gain a new nature. In this new nature, we are declared His children, and we belong to the Kingdom of God. A carnal mind cannot accept it, and it is foolishness to Him, but it is the essence of a new life, freedom, and acceptance in God.
Furthermore, being accepted by God allows us not to fight His design that is not meant to be changed. It is just meant to be brought under God’s authority. This helps us to accept ourselves for who we are and gives us rest from striving or trying to be something we are not. He calms us down with His love and helps us to know we are accepted in the beloved. We get to learn from Jesus’ humility and gentleness and determine in our hearts that we have nothing to demand or prove.
When we accept God’s message of hope and allow it to take root in our lives, we will begin to truly live. We can also become givers of life and bear fruit that others can be blessed with.
Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If not, I encourage you to accept His invitation and come to Him for His acceptance, forgiveness, and love. At the top of this page, click on “Salvation Prayer” and pray the prayer to receive and accept Jesus into your heart. If you know Jesus, do you know that you are accepted in Him? Do you accept How He has designed you?