There is a verse in Acts that grabs my attention every time I read through the book. Paul, Barnabas, James, and others are discussing the gospel to the gentiles and about what the gentiles need to do in order to follow Jesus and be a part of their church. In verse 19 James says, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”
It seems like many of us, at one time or another, want to make it difficult for people to come to God. It seems that we all want people to clean up before coming to Him. We expect them to beat their drinking problem and then come to Jesus. We expect them to kick their drug habit and then find God. We expect them to end their live-in relationships before coming to the Lord. We forget, I think, where we were when we came to Him. We forget that He loved us, accepted us, and forgave us right where we were. God wants us to come to Him; just as we are, so that He can do the work that He wants to do in our lives.
I need to remember these things as I’m out and around and seeing people who haven’t come to Him. He wants them to come just as they are. He wanted me to come to Him, regardless of the mess I had made of my life. He welcomes people just as they are – but He loves us too much to leave us just as we are. He changes our hearts and transforms our minds into what He has planned for us.
I want to make it easy for others to turn to God.
