Jesus Says, ‘Come as You Are’
By Rick Warren
“God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT)
Everything that Jesus did for you, he did out of love. The Bible says God made you to love you. The only reason you’re alive is because you were made to be loved by God.
God didn’t just say he loved you; he showed it. The Bible says, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). It says while we were still sinners. Before you even knew you needed God in your life, Jesus died for you.
There’s a myth that says you’ve got to clean up your act before you can come to God. People say, “There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.” No! You can come to God with your problems—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
It’s like brushing your teeth before you go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned! Why do we do things like that?
God says, “You don’t have to clean up your act. Just bring it all to me. Bring me all your problems and all your mess. I have all the answers. Come as you are.”
Easter shows the depth of God’s love for you. The Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (Psalm 57:3 TLB). That’s what Jesus did on Easter. He sent himself from heaven to save you because of his love. So you can bring your problems to God—because he loves you and he has the answers.
If you don’t act on this Good News, then the death of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection are wasted for you personally; they’ll make no difference in your life. It’s not enough to recognize God’s gift; you have to receive it.
“You will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others” (Romans 10:9-10 CEV).
God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. God is asking you to believe a promise that only he can keep.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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