Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.
First off I want you to know that, 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.
Have you ever known someone who was a regular at church and they suddenly stopped coming to church for a long time? Did you ever ask them why?
Here is an example I saw on the internet;
I met up with him to find out how he was doing and to see if everything was all right. 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.” 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!
Oftentimes when someone disappears from the church, they are distracted or are going through something and they can't face God or anyone else.
We were all born in trespasses and sin. But God knew this about us even before we were born and sent His son, Jesus to die for us
New Living Translation Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Before I really knew God I would attend church once in a while as a matter of fact many different denominations. The feeling was good while I was there, but left immediately after the service. Why is that?
Amplified Bible Psalm 147:3-5 3He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow]. 4He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names. 5Great is our [majestic and mighty] Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is inexhaustible [infinite, boundless]. New Living Translation Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
This verse appears in a passage where the prophet Isaiah is relaying a divine indictment against the people of Judah. They are accused of hypocrisy, idolatry, and injustice (Isaiah 1:2-17).
The phrase “sins as scarlet” highlights both the vividness and the depth of their wrongdoing. Yet, the promise is that these sins can be cleansed.
In ancient times, scarlet (a bright red color) was obtained through costly dyes, often derived from insects like the kermes or cochineal. Because the dye was difficult to remove, scarlet garments symbolized permanence and luxury. When Isaiah uses the term “scarlet” for sins, it conveys how sin can saturate and permanently stain a person’s life with guilt-humanly speaking, it remains stubbornly attached.
Amplified Bible Revelation 22:17 The [Holy] Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take and drink the water of life without cost.
It didn’t cost us a thing however, it cost the life of God's only begotten son, Jesus. Jesus died on the cross in my stead and yours. When we accept him as our savior as it says in Romans 10: 9 and 10.
New Living Translation Romans 10:9-10 9If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. The Message John 6:37-38 37Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. 38I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own agenda but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
Who or what is telling you that you are not good enough or worthy enough or clean enough to come before your God? His arms are always waiting for you to come home. He doesn’t care how bad you think you are or sad, or disobedient.
Jesus Christ cleansed us by his blood. So we are squeaky clean.
Good News Translation Hebrews 12:1 As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.
What are you holding onto that is keeping you from running the race God set before you?
New Living Translation Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Amplified Bible Hebrews 4:14-16 14Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. 15For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
I'd like to share a portion of a song by, Crowder with you to leave you with a better picture in your mind. It is from the song “Come as You Are” by Crowder.
So lay down your burdens Lay down your shame All who are broken Lift up your face
Oh, wanderer, come home You're not too far Lay down your hurt, lay down your heart Come as you are
Don’t let the devil tell you anything different than what God’s Word says about you.
There is nothing that can separate you from God' love for you. There is no need to drag your feet in coming clean before the Father. He already knows what’s going on in your life. And as any parent would, He wants to alleviate your pain and make you all better.
God Bless You.