I've been listening to some contemporary Christian music from my youth, and the song by DeGarmo and Key entitled "I'm Accepted" has been especially important to me. The tune is simple, and the lyrics are pretty straightforward. Nonetheless, the reminder that I am accepted by God because of what Jesus has accomplished for fallen humanity is encouraging.
Jesus always seemed to find himself in the presence of those who the world found "unacceptable." The downtrodden, the oppressed, the overlooked, the marginalized people of the first century were often the very individuals that Jesus engaged. Yes, he also hung out with sinners and what others may consider "the worst of society."
He wasn't there to judge them, nor was he there to endorse their particular sins or wayward lifestyles. He was there to show them God's love and to point them to the life God desires for all of us. That life is a life of faithful loyalty to a God who has constantly been faithful and loyal to humanity. It is a life of love, compassion, grace, while also encompassing holiness, righteousness, and mercy. Jesus is the example of what God wants humans to be.
John 1:12-13 says: "But to all who received him, he gave them the authority to become the children of God, to those who trust in his name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of human will, but of God."
When Jesus is accepted into our lives, we find him giving us the authority to be accepted by God. God loved the world enough to give his one and only Son for our sins (i.e., for our very rebellion against the God who loved us in this manner), so that by trusting in Jesus and by being loyal to follow him we can receive the life God intended for humanity. Jesus loves sinners enough to die for them; Jesus loves the "unacceptable" enough to mingle with them; and Jesus loves us. In that sense we are accepted.
God's ultimate desire is that we turn away from sin to trust in Jesus' gift to us and then to live loyally as a follower of Jesus. We need to leave a life of rebellion to become faithful followers of Jesus in order to live what God intends for humanity. Will that life always be upbeat, positive, and problem free? No, but it will always be accompanied with the presence of God in Jesus.
Here is the song that has blessed me recently:
I may not be rich
Don't wear fashion clothes
Don't live in a mansion
Don't have much that shows
Never won a contest in popularity
Don't have much to offer
But Jesus still loves me
I'm accepted, accepted
I'm accepted by the One who matters most
Never set a record in sports agility
Never was magnetic in personality
That don't really matter
I'll do the best I can
'Cause there's a God above me
Who loves me like I am
I'm accepted, accepted
I'm accepted by the One who matters most
If you think you're a loser
When you fail it seems at everything you do
Just remember there's a Savior
And you are worth enough
He gave His life for you
I'm accepted, accepted
I'm accepted by the One who matters most
I'm accepted, accepted
I'm accepted by the One who matters most
I'm accepted, I'm accepted
I'm accepted by the One who matters most
