Just the Way You Are (همانطور که شما هستید)

در زندگی‌ تان باید مثل عیسی مسیح فکر و عمل کنید (فیلیپیان5:2)

خطرناک است حقایق بزرگ و مهم را در یک جمله خلاصه کنیم اگر یک یا دو جمله می‌توانست میل و محبت  خداوند را برای تک تک ما نشان دهد آن را همانند جمله زیر میتوان انگاشت:

خدا شما را همانطور که هستید دوست دارد، اما قبول نمیکند که شما را درآن حال ترک کند، او می‌خواهد که شما مانند عیسی مسیح بشوید.

 بله خدا شما را همانطور که هستید دوست دارد. اگر فکر می‌کنید محبت خداوند به شما بیشتر میشود اگر ایمانتان قویتر شود در اشتباه هستید. اگر فکر می‌کنید با افکار عمیق‌تر محبت خداوند به شما افزونتر خواهد شد باز هم اشتباه می‌کنید.

عشق خدا را با عشق بشری اشتباه نگیرید.عشق انسان‌ها بیشتر اوقات با عملکرد خوب بیشتر میشود، و با اشتباهات کمتر. و نه بیشتر به محبت خداوند شبیه نیست.

او شما را دوست دارد همین الان در هر کجا هستید...

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In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

It’s dangerous to sum up grand truths in one statement, but I’m going to try. If a sentence or two could capture God’s desire for each of us, it might read like this:

God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.

God loves you just the way you are. If you think his love for you would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. If you think his love would be deeper if your thoughts were, wrong again. Don’t confuse God’s love with the love of people. The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so much with God’s love. He loves you right where you are.

Looking Back

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heaven bound in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

What are your thoughts as you look back over the last year? Was it a year of heartache and loss, tragedy and sorrow? Or happiness and joy, success and achievement? Or something in between? Do you close the book on this year with regret, or with relief?

No matter what your answer is, I hope you will pause and prayerfully ask yourself two important questions. First, how do you think God looks on this past year in your life? Did it being you any closer to Him? Did it expose any weaknesses, or find you wandering from His way? Was He disappointed in your response to its challenges?

Second, what lessons will you take from this year into the next? What did God teach you? What did He try to teach you? What needs to change – and how will it happen?

Don’t be bound by the past and its failures; Paul’s goal was to forget the past and press on in obedience to Christ. But don’t forget its lessons either.