Inspiration Thursday - Come as You Are

All of us have been invited to some sort of special event like a Super Bowl Party, Prom, Graduation ceremony, a wedding and reception. One of the first things that we give consideration to is what are we going to wear. The first question is often, "What is everyone else wearing?" We want to be dressed appropriately and make a good impression. When I was in my teens (stone age), there were three basic attire for the guys who were invited to various parties. "Formal" meant a tuxedo or dark suit & tie. "Semi-formal" meant a sport coat, tie and slacks. "Casual" meant slacks and a collared shirt, with or without a sweater. Only if some one said, "Wear your grubs" did jeans, shorts, and t-shirts get any consideration. The idea is that we had to prepare for the event and be dressed appropriately for the occasion. That's just the way it was. The most important event in our lives does not require us to do any special preparation.
Christ offers us the gift of eternal life, a seat at the table of the family of God, and a place to live that has been prepared especially for us. All we have to do is acknowledge that we are in need of that gift, believe that Christ is indeed the only Son of the Living God, and invite Him to live in our heart. All of the work as already been done by the Savior.
Many people don't accept this invitation because they don't believe they are good enough to receive eternal life...and they are right. The Bible tells us that, "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." (Romans 3:23) This verse also applies to those who don't believe they have really done anything so bad as to deserve eternal punishment. That's why the Bible also tells us that "While we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) All of us are sinful.
Other people say that they intend to accept Christ as their Savior, but they need to clean up their lives and make themselves acceptable to their Creator. God does not tell us that we have to clean up our act before we can be accepted. Christ did not tell the thief on the cross next to Him that his time had run out, rather, the Savior said, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
Still others declare their intent to be saved some day, just not right now. They still have a life to live and salvation would interfere in that life. Every day death reminds us that we are not promised our next breath, much less several decades to decide that we are in need of salvation. God instructs us to, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." (Isaiah 55:6) What do we have to do? Simple, "Come Just As You Are". Have a blessed week.