Truth or Lie #3: I Am Complete in Christ and Accepted

Truth:    I am complete in Christ and accepted.

Lie:         I will never be complete until I have _______________.

                To be accepted by God, I must prove I am worthy.

The world around us has a sad and destructive way of defining worth.

It says if you have a certain status, a certain career, more money in the bank than you know what to do with, and more Facebook friends than a small country . . . you’re somebody. If you can look in the mirror, and say “I like what I see,” then those around you will say the same thing.

I am a real person; I have only arrived if I have what everyone else thinks I should have – the looks, prestige, relationships.

                If I have what the world around me says I should have, I am complete.

We, as Christians, often carry these lies into our relationship with God. If I prove to God I’m somebody of worth, I will be accepted by Him. If I read so many chapters in the Bible a day; if I pray for others; reach out to the lost; avoid sin – only then will God accept me.

If I prove to God I’m worthy, I will be accepted.

The truth is . . .

If we had to use things and relationships and self-esteem to complete what God began when He brought us into this world as tiny, helpless babies, none of us would be whole.

If we had to prove our worth, none of us would be accepted by a holy God.

The truth is . . . You and I are only complete when we find our worth and acceptance in Christ.

Someone once said, “The ground is level at the Cross.”

Christ saved Lydia, a prestigious, successful business woman.

He saved an adulterous woman thrown at His feet in shame.

Christ saved Paul, a well-known Pharisee, a zealous rule-keeper.

He saved a criminal in agony who was breathing his last breath.

Christ loved those accepted by society.

                He also loved the outcasts.

We are accepted by God and complete, not by our works or worth, but because of His love alone.

Because of the Cross.

The rejected and all that is broken in our world, He heals and makes whole through Himself.

               

We are “complete in him” (Col. 2:10) . . . ALONE.

We are “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6) . . . THE ONLY PLACE THAT COUNTS.

When the world speaks lies about your worth, turn to the place of full acceptance and rest content in the completeness found in Christ alone.

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This is Part 3 in a series, called “Truth or Lie,” based on the book, Lies Women Believe: and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

In the final chapter, Nancy highlights 22 freeing truths that are essential to our Christian lives.

Come back each Monday (or subscribe to this blog) as we look together at these 22 truths one-by-one. 

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