Grace and Mercy

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

I take a Zumba class at my church (it's a fitness class). There are about 10-15 ladies at every class, and increasingly more and more of them are from the neighborhood around the church but don't actually attend it. So when they walk in the door they go to the room where the class is, and stay there.

I, on the other hand, have no problem running into the kitchen for water, or using the bathroom on that side of the building if the one by the front door is busy. Becuase it's my church, I have confidence when I walk around, because I know where everything is, and what I can expect, and I know that it's ok.

That's a little bit of how I feel when I read the above scripture. We must have confidence in the house of the Lord--and now I'm not talking about a church but the actual throne room of God. True, we are not physically there. But we can approach God on His throne at any time through prayer. And the thing is, He wants us to. He's just waiting for us to bring our problems, hopes, dreams and yes confessions to Him.

Of course I think a large number of us avoid the throne room because of all the junk that we carry. But when I walk into my church, I don't have people saying "Oh my goodness, you had a lascivious thought about someone, you have to leave right now. You are not allowed in the kitchen any more, and don't even think about going to the sanctuary." No, the members of my church love me, as I am, and despite it, and they welcome me in.

How much more God, our heavenly father? He always welcomes us in. And yes, sometimes we have to admit things to Him, but read that scripture again. He gives us grace and mercy. Those are not just fluffy religious words. Grace and mercy means that God accepts us and loves us just as we are, and despite it. He will always be willing to help us become more like Christ, but He will never turn us away because we haven't gotten there yet.

Something to think about today.