You Belong

by Tim Howard

It’s a great feeling to be around people who embrace you when you are difficult to deal with – love you when you’re not as kind as you should be and forgive you when you mess up in a big way. They may not approve of everything you are doing but their acceptance of you as someone important and significant to them is never questioned.

Jesus offered this to people. Individuals came to Him and felt comfortable in His presence. They didn’t feel judged, condemned, alienated, or out of place. He made them feel like they belonged. He challenged them, cautioned them and even corrected them at times but always with acceptance, love and a spirit of compassion. Non-religious people loved being around Jesus. If you question this fact, check out Mark 2:15 and Luke 5:29 in your Bible.

I know people who won’t come to church or follow Christ because they don’t feel good enough or worthy. They think they must change their ways first and then Jesus will accept them. The truth, however, is just the opposite. When people came to Jesus – many were anything but religious. They didn’t change first and then come to Him, they came to Jesus who welcomed them as they were and from that encounter He changed their lives forever.

The Bible is clear – You can’t make internal and eternal changes without Jesus. You may be able to alter your behavior because of self-determination and self-help books but only Jesus can change you from the inside out. All of us have things in need of being altered!  The true answer to our challenges, however, is not: ‘change then come’ but come just as you are and He will change you. Jesus invites you to come into His presence ‘just as you are.’

Here’s the irony! You would think that religious people who claim to be followers of Christ would function the same way and have the same attitude as Christ. The opposite, however, is too often – true! The religious leaders of that day were ticked off at Jesus for embracing people who weren’t like them. They required people to believe first and then they could belong. Change your behavior and then you can fit in. Become like we are and then you will be accepted. In other words: You must believe, behave and become like us before you can belong.

Allow me to simply state: Jesus did not give us that model! Romans 5 reveals that before we believed in God, before we became anything of significance; before we changed our behavior He loved us enough to send His son Jesus to help us. He died so we could belong.

In this day and age, we can’t afford to get the cart ahead of the horse.

Do we need to behave differently? Absolutely!

Do we need to believe the truth? Positively!

Do we need to become all we were created to be? Without a doubt!

But BEFORE any of these things – You belong to Him – He is your creator – and He loves you!

You Belong in God’s presence… Warts and all!