This past Sunday I spoke of the welcoming heart of God. I wanted to share some other thoughts that have been spurred on by helpful conversation with some in our congregation.
I spoke on Sunday of the truth that God always welcomes humble(d) sinners into His presence. Often, He is the direct source of our humbling, even though we most often experience humbling in indirect ways. Still, I think it needs to be recognized that the proud in heart do not have that same confidence of acceptance in His presence.
We are often easily deceived. Our hearts can convince us that we are right where we need to be spiritually. We can often easily dismiss our callousness or lack of change. We can measure up (in our minds) better than the next person, so therefore we assume all is well with God. What a dangerous position to be in! "God, help us from the deception that keeps us from being unable to realize our distance from you."
Embedded in Matthew 11:28-30 is our personal ownership of our weaknesses and sins. These very things shouldn't drive us away from God's presence, but rather to it. We are in need of grace.
