The 3Rs of Acceptance

The 3Rs of Acceptance

(Reason, Response, Result)

Looking unto JESUS the author and finisher of our faith...(Hebrews chapter 12)

1. REASON
God did not accept us because of what we have or who we are. We have nothing to brag about ourselves; the truth is, before Jesus found us, we stink, we are garbage, dirty and messed up. But despite of who we are, He accepted us because of our origin; we originated from a perfect manufacturer. He wants to reclaim the distorted and corrupted image of our brand. He wants to take back what belongs to Him. We are His special creation. He labeled us as His own. But He knew that it would take time to recover what Satan stole from Him. The price is high, and it demands painful sacrifices: stepping out from the comfort zone of His throne in humility and obedience; denying His Kingship for a moment to live with the spiritual paupers; holding Himself from using His power to save Himself from the angry mob so that His purpose why He did what He did be fulfilled. Jesus accepted the challenge to rescue us from the eternal damnation in hell. JESUS accepted us, but not our sins, HE took it from us but He did not keep it for good but buried it with Him, then HE rose again without those sins anymore. That's why we are told to rise and walk in newness of life, and allow Him to impute His nature in us.

2. RESPONSE
People respond differently: There are those who reject Him right away in unbelief, and there are those who are skeptical about it. But the response that God wants from people is for them to accept His redeeming gift of salvation, in the spirit of humility and total surrender of self; acknowledging Him as LORD, the ruler of their lives. Those who truly accept Christ as their LORD AND SAVIOR, are those who are willing to turn their back from their old lives, making the principles of God as their standard for living. God accepted us to His family not because of who we are but who CHRIST is in our lives. If Jesus is in us, we allow Him to change us daily, we don't stay the same. We surrender to His Lordship. If we don't allow Him to change us, then, why expect Him to accept us in His throne? We are accepted in His throne if we accept His Lordship in us.

3. RESULT
A changed life. We accept Him by faith. Yes, it's an abstract word, but real faith reveals concrete evidence. It shows in our words, most specially in our actions. Every decision we make is a result of our obedience to God. We stop doing things on our own way. We make God as our ultimate REASON why we do what we do; we begin to RESPOND how He responded. And the RESULT of everything we do is a reflection of HIS glorious presence in our lives.

IN CONCLUSION:
Acceptance is very important in relationships, but it does not mean that it's okay to remain who we are. We respect each other's preferences, but when it comes to our behavior, attitude and character, we make the WORD OF GOD as our absolute standard for living; for our behavior, attitude, and character affect the message of the gospel.