What Makes Us Acceptable to God?

I woke up this morning with a question I haven’t thought of for along time:

"What make us acceptable to God?"

After some random thinking I had a vision. 

No, no not really a vision like we read about in the Bible. 

Or, or maybe, just maybe, it was like that.

Anyway I was thinking of an image of the Spirit/God living in, and through,  Jesus’ body. 

The image was actually like an arrow moving from God through Jesus and through Jesus into each of us.

Very cool!

It felt good; I think because is visually made sense.

I was thinking about all of Jesus' “in-dwelling” statements in the Gospel of John; especially John 15. 

Let me see if I can remember how it went.  It was something like God moving through our cells, blood vessels and veins, enabling us to be what we are meant to be. 

I remembered what Jesus told his disciples about leaving them with an “advocate — the Holy Spirit — to guide them into all truth.”  (John 14:25)   

Some were in all of this I met a road block.  It was the part about what we do with God’s gracious offer of his presence.

My mind began to wonder:  

                                   “But what if?”

It had to do with our response to the presence of God inside of us.

I thought of all those who don’t believe because they have never had the opportunity to know about God, Holy Sprit, Jesus.  

Or those who have, for some reason or another, rejected the whole idea.

 of God.

My mind got stumped --  became very silent.

  

Then God tapped me on the brain, and I remembered  that God can be ignored or said no to; but That doesn’t mean that God ignores, or says no to, us.   Or that God leave us alone to fen for ourselves. 

My head is off my pillow now.  And I am thinking about the answer to my road block.  

We may not know, or believe, or have faith in God.

However, that also doesn’t mean that God is not — is not real.

Just because you think God isn’t real, it doesn’t make what you think true.

Here is the image I had this morning:

God Spirit _ through Jesus__Spirit __ through Us _ our yes or no.

You see, much like the God of the Old Testament, God will no longer force us to worship or believe in Him.


We are free to say not to God all we want.

But no matter how we think or feel; God will not abandon us.

And you are probably thinking: “Yeah but you don’t know all the terrible things I have done.”

My response is:  God knows.  

And what you don’t know is that God forgives.

Example:  The robber who hung next to Jesus on the Cross.  This man had lived a life of awful.  And with his last breath was forgiven.

Do you actually think God would not do the same for you? 

If you have ever for a moment — even the tiniest of moments — had the feeling, or thought, that God was real.   You are on the correct path.

All you need is that small bit of information.  That little seed of truth.  God does the rest.

We can give up on ourselves.  But God does not ever give up on us.