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God Says ‘Come As You Are’
By Rick Warren

“God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

Everything that Jesus did for you, he did out of love. The Bible says that God made you to love you. The only reason you’re alive is because you were made to be loved by God.

If God didn’t want you alive, your heart would stop instantly; you wouldn’t even be breathing right now. God made you and wants you alive so he can love you and so you can love him back.

God didn’t just say he loved you; he showed it. The Bible says, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). It says while we were still sinners. Before I even knew God or knew I needed God in my life, Jesus died for me.

There’s a myth that says I’ve got to clean up my act before I can come to God: “I’ve got to get it all together. There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.” No! You come to God with your problems — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It’s like when we brush our teeth before we go to the dentist to have a teeth cleaning or when we wash the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher or when we pick up the house before the maid gets there. Why do we do this?

God says, “No, no! You don’t have to clean up your act. Just bring it all to me. Bring me all your problems. I have all the answers. Come as you are.”

The Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (Psalm 57:3a LB). That’s what Jesus did on Easter. He sent himself from Heaven to save us because of his love. So you can bring your problems to God, because he has the answer.

If you don’t act on this news, then the death of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection are wasted for you personally. It makes no difference in your life. You may recognize the gift, but you still have to receive it.

“You will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others” (Romans 10:9-10 CEV).

God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. God is asking you to believe a promise that only he can keep.

Talk It Over

What do you need to let go of that you have been trying to clean up so you can approach God?

What does Easter mean to you personally? How does celebrating it draw you closer to God?

How does your life reflect the extravagant love God has for you and that you have accepted?