Welcoming People

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise You.
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalms 51:15-17

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin
and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 AMP

I have yet to meet a person that Christ has rejected.  There is no such thing as too sinful, too perfect, too young, or too old.  Not one person who comes to Christ broken and humble is turned away.  He never said, “Oh…that’s too much for me to handle.”  He has never turned His back saying, “Not today…I’m too busy.  Try again tomorrow.”  He is never off limits.  He has never said, “Ha! You puny human. I am God. You are too beneath Me to help.”  And He is always emotionally available.  He has never said, “I’m too bored or tired or angry.”

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
Romans 15:7

Jesus is always available to the willing heart.  He was even available to those who didn’t know they needed Him.  So, why aren’t we the same way?  The easy response to this question is: ‘He was God and I am only human.’   Even though this is very true, I think there are other reasons why we aren’t as accepting or available as Christ, and it all comes down to motives.

We can never truly know a person’s heart.  We can see their actions and listen to what they say, but even so, there is no way for us to know what is going through their minds or the motives they have or what they do behind closed doors.  How could we possibly know the internal struggles another goes through?  For example, you encounter a rude person and it’s easy to assume that person is just rude; but is that really true?  What’s happening on the surface is not always an adequate overall summary of the situation.  This is what the Holy Spirit is for!  (As well as it helps to remember to view situations in a “this is not about me” manner.)

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Lord, help me to welcome those around me the way You welcomed those to Yourself, so that I may be a light for others.  Please, help me to remember the big picture, and stay focused on You, so I can love people like You did.  Amen.

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