Come as You Are

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, who those believing in Him would receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39 NKJ

  Once again I am having issues with data so today I am doing things differently. I am typing this up in Word then copying and pasting it into the blog. Hopefully, it will be a less hungry way of continuing to pursue God’s Word.

   Last week’s passage and this week’s passage have a word in common that has been drifting through my thoughts throughout the day.

  “Come.”  

  I heard a story about a little girl. Her parents found her early one morning, sitting all prim and proper on a dining room chair as she watched TV. The living room had been tidied. The couch cushions had been fluffed. The kitchen table had been set for breakfast. The little girl was dressed in her best and prettiest dress. When they asked her what was going on, she replied, “The man on TV said Jesus is coming!”

  On the surface, it’s a delightful example of the innocence of children.

  Underneath is a profound revelation about how hard it is to go to Jesus just as we are.

  It’s a sad social comment how young we are when outside appearances are so vital to us believing we are good enough to come into the presence of Jesus.

  These are lies.

  So here’s the thing, we can choose to let go of the lies and take the first steps in being completely honest with God. Or not. But I have to ask the question, “What is standing in the way of honesty?”

  I think part our reluctance is because it is much easier to lie, to hide from the truth, than admit some of our thoughts are rather ugly. It’s like leprosy of the soul, heart and mind has made its mark on us.

  Jesus healed lepers.

  Jesus can heal us.

  “Come.”