Acceptance

How should I accept others?

Others began coming -- men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented -- until David was the captain of about 400 men. (1 Samuel 22:2)

Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. (Romans 15:7)

Welcome others in the spirit of Christ, not because of position, prestige, power, or personal gain that may come your way.
David modeled this acceptance of others while he was fleeing from Saul.
As a developing leader, David learned that it wasn't simply a matter of getting the best people but of bringing out the best in the people God brought to him.


What if others have committed terrible sin? Should I still accept them?

Nothing...will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39)

Nothing can separate a person from God's love.
In the same way, you should always love others, no matter how great their sin.
This does not mean that you accept or condone their sinful actions or ignore the appropriate discipline but that you view and accept them as unique and special creations of God.
It is through love that you bring sinful people back into fellowship with God and others.


I feel so unworthy -- does God really accept me?

God created human beings in this own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27)

God showed his great love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinner. (Romans 5:8)

Even before he make the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
(Ephesians 1:4-5)

You are accepted by God because he made you and created you in his image.
Nothing you can do will cause God to love you more because he loves you completely.
And nothing you do can cause God to love you less.
In fact, God accepts you and loves you so much that He sent his own Son to die for you, to take on himself the punishment for sin you deserve.
He died in your place so you can be accepted into eternity with him.


What should I never accept?

During the eighth of His reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David.... He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. (2 chronicles 34:3-4)

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires (Romans 6:12)

Never accept or tolerate sin in your life.
Never feel satisfied that you sin less than someone else.
Everyone has a sinful nature, and everyone has certain sins to which he or she is particularly vulnerable.
If you leave sins unchecked, no matter how small, they will begin to grow and spread like malignant tumors, affecting all you think and do

Promises from God: Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. (Romans 15:7)


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