Welcome to my journal once again. This week the Lord has been teaching me about my faults.

I walk up to you, a fellow sinner treading this earth

I want to see you for who you are

But I see someone who is quite different than me

someone who sleeps around

or does drugs

or drank a few too many beers one night

someone who cusses a lot

who has told a lie that cut really deep

who tries to live 2 lives in 1

who has a nice job and lots of dough that just sits around

someone who is a little larger than I am and likes to eat at McD's

who watches TV all day and ignores the world

who yells at their kids and lets them play video games, no matter how violent or crude

someone who kidnaps children, watches porn or buys women for sex

who dresses in short shorts or all black with chains

who has a mental or physical impairment

who loves someone of the same gender

But who am I to say these people are anything less than Jesus?

Because I cannot say that I have never...

wanted to cuss someone out

or been so angry I could scream

or eaten so much that one more bite would make me explode

or fibbed a little just to make me look better

or lusted after someone or something based on appearance

or judged someone too quickly

or been prideful of some action I deemed 'good'

The truth is, I need Jesus' love as much as anyone else

I need someone to look me in the eyes and see Jesus

I need to look at you

but not see your sins or your wrongs or your mistakes

but see Jesus

in your face, your eyes, your heart, your soul

Your whole being needs Jesus

but He's already there with you

And He loves you

He will redeem you more broadly, more deeply, more quickly than you can hardly believe

But you may never know,

you may never meet Him

If I don't stop...

stop walking, stop talking, stop staring, stop judging

and look you in the face

and see Jesus in you.

How could I be selfish enough to think that I could decide who should meet Jesus? How could I be foolish enough to think that I could set bounds on Christ's grace? How can we as Christians say, "Jesus loves you despite anything you have ever done," and yet we still seem to send the message, "You have to change your self and be good in order to earn God's love"? 

"I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Phil. 3:9)

We need not do anything except have faith in the grace that is so incredible that it could forgive me. One doesn't need to change everything that is wrong about one's self before God will accept you. He would never be able to accept you if that were the case. But if you submit to Him and have faith, He will transform you heart and thus your actions and thoughts and words will be transformed as well.

"I will press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." (Phil. 3:12)