Day 7 Ephesians 1:6

“to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:6

Acceptance is a powerful concept. We all struggle with being accepted. When you are accepted by someone important it is awesome! I remember preparing to propose to my wife. Talk about scared. I was physically ill for three days and did not sleep for two. Even though we had dated for four years, the risk was till terrifying. When she accepted, there was a weird combination of relief, joy, shouting, and pride that I had been accepted. It is still etched into my memory as one of the absolute greatest moments of my life.

Even that moment does not capture the truth of what it means to be accepted into the presence of God. In Jesus we are just that - accepted. Any time you have a need, you are accepted. Anytime you are afraid and need to be comforted, you are accepted. Anytime you are at a loss, you are accepted. Even when you fail miserably, you are accepted.

Here is another great truth: you do not have to do anything to be accepted. He did all o the work. The verse says that specifically – “by which He made us accepted.” God did that for you. He did it through Jesus the Beloved. There is no concept of earning or deserving this blessing. You are accepted because of your identity in Jesus.

Satan as our enemy does not want you to understand that you are accepted. He would prefer you to believe you are alone and rejected. He would prefer for you to think in terms of performance, that you must earn acceptance or that you can lose it through poor performance.

That is a lie! Never be hesitant to come before God. Your adoptive Father has accepted you in Jesus and will not and cannot reject you. That is grace. Today carry that thought with you and praise Him for the astounding blessing of being accepted.