SCRIPTURE: Romans 4
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” [Luke 7:50]
This is what Jesus says to a sinful woman who came to Jesus with deep sorrow, and anointed His feet with her tears and perfume, wiping them with her hair.
Jesus saw into her heart, and there He saw humility, honesty, sincerity… love.
What God wants from us is a broken, contrite heart [Psalm 51:17].

What is it that God is looking for from us, how good is good enough, what rituals or sacrifices or moral requirements do we have to meet?
Is there a list of ‘entrance requirements’ with God?
Paul challenges the traditional Jewish approach, which he excelled at [Philippians 3:3-7], and shows that even Abraham was accepted by faith, not by performance.
It was not because Abraham fulfilled a list, but because He responded to God in humility and faith.
This is what pleases God.

True, such a heart response will change the way we live.
But behavioural change is the result of a heart change.
God looks at the underlying attitude of the heart.
He forgives such people.
He does not hold their sin against them.
He knows they hate sin, He sees their sincere struggle.
He looks at such people and sees them as righteous – He credits them as righteous.

Sinful people who know they have problems, who know they are not good enough, who know they need help, such people are the kind of people God loves to welcome.
He demonstrated this through Jesus; look at the people that were drawn to Him!
This will not leave us free to live as we please, that would be impossible because such a heart hates the sin that makes us unworthy, and is desperate to be free from it.

But in our ongoing struggle against sin, we do not need to fear God’s anger or rejection.
He is not watching us, waiting for us to mess up.
He loves us, period, and He wants to help us.
He knows we will fail, but He doesn’t quit on us.
He declares us innocent (even though we know how much sin remains in our life), and tells us to “go in peace”.
Deal with your sin with the confidence that you are already accepted.
‘There is nothing we can do that will make God love us more; there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less!” This is the position – or the confidence – with which we can now move forward in life, striving with His love and help to become the people He already sees us as.

PRAYER:
Lord, I am accepted by You just as I am. But You will not leave me, just as I am. Help me to be just as You want me to be.