Acceptance
Eph.1: (KJV) “to the praise for the glory of his grace, wherein he hast made us accepted in the belovedâ€. The word grace means “to indue with special honor – to make accepted or to be highly favored.â€
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus is identifying and confirming as to whom is an “accepted†follower of Christ. Paul uses the word “grace†numerous times in this letter to the Ephesians and, in fact, in all of Paul’s letters he repeats this impacting and powerful word, grace. There are two definitions of this word. The most common is 1) “to have undeserved favor; 2) a supernatural influence upon the heart and its reflection seen in the life.†These dynamically describe who God is and what he extends towards humanity. Grace is a byproduct of God’s love.
All mankind was born in sin and because of sin we are without hope and a future as explained in Eph.2:12-13. We are bound to evil desires and they foster lies, deceit and provide delusion and deception. This state of being has no hope and there is no acceptance.
The Good News is God’s love extended to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we have been made acceptable to the Father. Jesus bore the punishment and penalty of all man’s sin which provides forgiveness and acceptability.
Acceptance is not and will never be based on human efforts, no matter how hard we might try, and we certainly try to prove we are worthy of acceptance. God’s grace alone makes us acceptable; it is a gift. It’s your choice to accept his gift! Father God’s arms are extended to you, and He is beckoning you to come near, to receive his tender love, his kindness, his goodness and forgiveness.
Have you ever found yourself saying you accept someone, but you have a list of “exceptions†which determine acceptance or not? You say to yourself, I will accept them if they comply to my list of expectations. If there is a list of what you must do to earn acceptance then it is not acceptance. Acceptance is a free gift!
You are accepted in the “beloved.†What is the beloved? The Greek root word agapao which basically means “to be loved in a social or moral sense.†You are accepted or have favor in the Family of God, his family, where love is foundational. My simplified definition of this kind of love is “moving towards someone else with their best interest in mind.†That is what God’s love does. God’s love receives and embraces you. God’s love says you are not just welcome, but you are wanted. There is a wide difference between being welcome and wanted. All of us know the difference and have probably experienced it. What makes the difference is the spirit in which the invitation is extended to you. All of us can tell when someone really wants us and when we are just tolerated. Who wants to just be tolerated?
Acceptance also has a sense of anticipation and celebration in it. Luke 15 provides the story Jesus used regarding a wayward son and his reconciliation with his father. The son decided he did not want to live at his father’s estate any longer and asked for his future inheritance, in full. The son then went to a distant land and wasted all of his inheritance. When the bank account was empty and he was miserable, he came to his senses and decided to go home to his father and beg for forgiveness. While the son was drawing near to his home, his father spotted him coming a long way off. The father ran to his son and threw his arms around him. He accepted him and embraced him. It was time for a celebration. An enormous banquet with a large guest list of friends was scheduled. A valuable ring was placed on the son’s finger and he was fitted for a fine coat. He was accepted and celebrated by his father in every way. It is interesting that there is no mention of the father inquiring into all of his shameful activity while he was gone. He did not want to know the details of his failure. It was a new beginning, a fresh start. There were no lists to measure up to. Love, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance were extended to his son.
If you are feeling lost, unacceptable, not worthy, discouraged and possibly defeated, there is good news. God the father is running towards you with open arms. He knows where you have been and what you have done and yet he will accept you because he loves you! He knows what you are made of and why you have done what you have done. If you have really made a mess of your life and do not know how to clean it up, your father will not abandon you. He will help you sort it out. Grace is not only favor and acceptance, but grace also will enable you. It provides the ability we are missing in the natural.
Jesus made a way for all of us to have relationship with God the Father through his death, burial and resurrection. It is up to you to accept his acceptance of you. Take a bold step towards the Father who loves and accepts you just the way you are and in the mess you are in. He loves, receives, embraces and restores broken people. He promises to give you what you need for a new beginning. Open your heart and extend your arms towards him to receive his accepting embrace. Upon doing so, like a potter shaping a vessel, with tenderness and great care, he promises to make you over again. It all begins with acceptance.
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus is identifying and confirming as to whom is an “accepted†follower of Christ. Paul uses the word “grace†numerous times in this letter to the Ephesians and, in fact, in all of Paul’s letters he repeats this impacting and powerful word, grace. There are two definitions of this word. The most common is 1) “to have undeserved favor; 2) a supernatural influence upon the heart and its reflection seen in the life.†These dynamically describe who God is and what he extends towards humanity. Grace is a byproduct of God’s love.
All mankind was born in sin and because of sin we are without hope and a future as explained in Eph.2:12-13. We are bound to evil desires and they foster lies, deceit and provide delusion and deception. This state of being has no hope and there is no acceptance.
The Good News is God’s love extended to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we have been made acceptable to the Father. Jesus bore the punishment and penalty of all man’s sin which provides forgiveness and acceptability.
Acceptance is not and will never be based on human efforts, no matter how hard we might try, and we certainly try to prove we are worthy of acceptance. God’s grace alone makes us acceptable; it is a gift. It’s your choice to accept his gift! Father God’s arms are extended to you, and He is beckoning you to come near, to receive his tender love, his kindness, his goodness and forgiveness.
Have you ever found yourself saying you accept someone, but you have a list of “exceptions†which determine acceptance or not? You say to yourself, I will accept them if they comply to my list of expectations. If there is a list of what you must do to earn acceptance then it is not acceptance. Acceptance is a free gift!
You are accepted in the “beloved.†What is the beloved? The Greek root word agapao which basically means “to be loved in a social or moral sense.†You are accepted or have favor in the Family of God, his family, where love is foundational. My simplified definition of this kind of love is “moving towards someone else with their best interest in mind.†That is what God’s love does. God’s love receives and embraces you. God’s love says you are not just welcome, but you are wanted. There is a wide difference between being welcome and wanted. All of us know the difference and have probably experienced it. What makes the difference is the spirit in which the invitation is extended to you. All of us can tell when someone really wants us and when we are just tolerated. Who wants to just be tolerated?
Acceptance also has a sense of anticipation and celebration in it. Luke 15 provides the story Jesus used regarding a wayward son and his reconciliation with his father. The son decided he did not want to live at his father’s estate any longer and asked for his future inheritance, in full. The son then went to a distant land and wasted all of his inheritance. When the bank account was empty and he was miserable, he came to his senses and decided to go home to his father and beg for forgiveness. While the son was drawing near to his home, his father spotted him coming a long way off. The father ran to his son and threw his arms around him. He accepted him and embraced him. It was time for a celebration. An enormous banquet with a large guest list of friends was scheduled. A valuable ring was placed on the son’s finger and he was fitted for a fine coat. He was accepted and celebrated by his father in every way. It is interesting that there is no mention of the father inquiring into all of his shameful activity while he was gone. He did not want to know the details of his failure. It was a new beginning, a fresh start. There were no lists to measure up to. Love, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance were extended to his son.
If you are feeling lost, unacceptable, not worthy, discouraged and possibly defeated, there is good news. God the father is running towards you with open arms. He knows where you have been and what you have done and yet he will accept you because he loves you! He knows what you are made of and why you have done what you have done. If you have really made a mess of your life and do not know how to clean it up, your father will not abandon you. He will help you sort it out. Grace is not only favor and acceptance, but grace also will enable you. It provides the ability we are missing in the natural.
Jesus made a way for all of us to have relationship with God the Father through his death, burial and resurrection. It is up to you to accept his acceptance of you. Take a bold step towards the Father who loves and accepts you just the way you are and in the mess you are in. He loves, receives, embraces and restores broken people. He promises to give you what you need for a new beginning. Open your heart and extend your arms towards him to receive his accepting embrace. Upon doing so, like a potter shaping a vessel, with tenderness and great care, he promises to make you over again. It all begins with acceptance.
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