The gift of acceptance

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6 KJV)

The Apostle Paul gives us a tremendous insight into the very heart of grace in the scripture above. The Lord has accepted us in the Beloved, who is Christ Jesus.

Acceptance is knowing someone’s faults, weaknesses and sins and still see value in them. Without divine acceptance, we will all be lost. The Lord saw value in us all while we were yet sinners and gave us the best gift humanity can ever receive. He still loved us despite where we were. He still saw value in us to the point of giving His Son to die for our sins.

As God accepted us, so we ought to accept each other. The gift of acceptance is a wonderful gift you can give anyone around you. Acceptance provides an atmosphere for broken people to be healed. There is nothing like knowing someone’s weaknesses and faults and not reject them. We should have grace for each other. Spouses should have grace for each other. Parents should have grace for their children just as children. Believers should have grace for their pastor. The Apostle Paul cautions us “make allowance for each other’s faults” (Col. 3:13 NLT). This is acceptance. Just as the Lord accepted you in Christ, accept each other.

Accepting someone is not the same as denial of the fault or sin. Acceptance acknowledges the sin but does not reject the sinner. It does not provide a license for ongoing wrongdoing but creates an atmosphere of healing for the broken hearts.

MEDITATE

Does acceptance imply that sins, errors and faults are no longer important? Can acceptance be mistaken for a license to continue ongoing wrong or sinful behaviours?

APPLY THE WORD

First, open your hearts and receive divine acceptance for you in the Beloved. Take the next step and release acceptance to those who are around you just as the Lord has accepted you in Christ.