Accept the Invitation

"Once we understand how welcomed we are, we can extend that

welcome to those around us."

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God”

(Romans 15:7, ESV)

Accept. Receive. Appreciate. Desire. Invite. Cherish. Honor. These are some

words you might find if you looked up synonyms for the word “welcome”. In fact, several

Bible translations use the word “accept” in place of the word “welcome”.

I want to challenge you for a moment. Do you believe, fully, deep down in your heart, that

Jesus accepts you? Appreciates you? Desires you? Cherishes and honors you? That He

invites you in and receives you with welcoming arms? I sincerely hope you do believe that

because it’s all true!

A few Sundays ago my pastor, Matthew Johnson, said, “Every time you go to Jesus, He’s happy to see you". No one can be more welcoming and accepting than Jesus.

He cherishes and loves sinners. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while

we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Read that again. He died for you. Me. Your children.

The whole world. While. We. Were. STILL. Sinners. Not because we deserved it. Not because

we finally got it together, but because he loves and accepts us just as we are. Luke 15:2

says, “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus would be seen with sinners. But we

should be grateful He saw them for what they were, just like He sees us.

He welcomes those who carry burdens. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who

labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” It doesn’t matter what you have going on. Jesus welcomes you and if you lean into Him, He’ll give you rest and take those burdens.

He invites in those who are lost. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to

save the lost.” It doesn’t matter when the last time you sought after God was. It doesn’t

matter if it’s been awhile since you’ve prayed. It doesn’t matter if you’ve done things you’re

not proud of. You can be lost. He’ll invite you back in so that you’re not lost anymore.

Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

EVERYONE is invited, received, accepted, welcomed, and desired by Jesus. The only

requirement is to believe in Him, confessing that He is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9).

Once we understand how welcomed we are, we can extend that welcome to those around

us. In our verse, Paul urges us to welcome each other the way we’ve been welcomed. Why?

For the glory of God! When we treat others the way Jesus treats us, we take our

shortcomings out of the picture, allowing us to share God’s glory with those people. What

an exciting opportunity! I encourage you to take it anytime you are offered, remembering

His loving invitation to us.

Action Steps:

• Reflect: Is there someone in your life that you haven’t been accepting of, or welcoming to? How can you change that?

• Read Luke 15:11-32 for the story of a son that didn’t deserve to be welcomed, but was received back with love and acceptance from His Father.

Written by Cathrine, welcomed, accepted, mother of 4.