Come As You Are!

Andrew and Peter were discovered on the job. In the middle of fishing, Yahushua passed by and told them to, “follow me”. He wasn’t concerned with what they were wearing, where they were in their life or, even, what they were doing at that exact moment. Matthew 4:20 tells us that they didn’t hesitate or question why they had been chosen to walk with the Messiah. They simply dropped everything and followed the call.

Later, Matthew recounts his own tale of being called. He also was at work, as a tax collector of all jobs, but when Yahushua, in Chapter 9 and verse 9, said, “follow me”, Matthew, like Andrew and Peter before him, walked off the job and instantly became a disciple of the Messiah. Matthew’s account even goes on to say that his colleagues, despised by the people of the land, and even other sinners from all walks of life, were drawn to the Christ. As He sat down to eat, they sat at His table with Him. Of course, the Pharisees (the most religious and influential folk of that time), took issue with Yahushua associating with the despised tax collectors and wicked sinners, but upon overhearing their murmuring, Yahushua politely let them know that these people…the ones not allowed in the synagogue, the ones that the church folk didn’t socialize with, the ones that committed all sorts of disastrous deeds…these were precisely the people that He had been sent here for.

See, Yahweh, as merciful as He is, sent His only Son to live and die for all of us. He knew some of us weren’t going to accept Him, but He sent Him anyway. He knew that some of us weren’t going to embrace His sacrifice, but He sent Him anyway. He knew that some of us were going to keep on sinning, but He sent Him anyway. And He came…willingly. He came so that if we ever chose to be forgiven, if we ever chose to have everlasting life, if we ever chose to have peace in our lives, if we ever wanted a new birth, a new life, a new beginning, all we would have to do is accept what was already done on our account.

Just like with the disciples, Yahushua isn’t concerned with where you are in your life. He’s not concerned with your background, what you’ve done or how others perceive you. None of us were born saved, but upon heeding His call, we all have the opportunity to follow Him. How ironic that none of His disciples were in church when they got the call. How ironic that none of them were dressed up or even prepared for the occasion. Each one of them was called and came exactly as they were! It was in walking and talking with the Master, that they became great men of Yahweh, but, rest assured, they didn’t start out that way.

The same is true for you and I. We don’t have to be in an actual church building to be saved. We don’t have to dress up or do anything special in preparation. Salvation is granted simply by saying out loud, and believing in your heart, that Yahushua is Messiah and that Yahweh raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Yahushua is your Savior. He did what He did for you. Yahweh won’t force Him on you, but He wants you to know that He’s yours and He’s waiting for you to accept Him. Others may have told you that you have to prepare yourself, change your lifestyle, start going to church and so on and so forth in order to be saved. Not true. The Word of Yahweh says it and I’m telling you today. Accept Him as your Savior and He’ll be the one to transform you from the inside out, not from the outside in!

Won’t you answer His call today as He’s telling you to come…just as you are?