Mark 2:17
"When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.""
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A month or so before my great Aunt Evelyn died last year, we traveled to Ohio to see her one last time in the nursing home. We had a very special time with her and we even Skyped in Hannah at college and Aunt Evelyn was waving and blowing kisses to Hannah through Kay's iPad. Her son Glenn Jr. and his wife Nancy were there also and after an hour or so we left the nursing home and they took us out to lunch. We had a very engaging conversation at lunch that turned to spiritual things. Tears were shed and at one point, Glenn Jr said something like "I don't think I am good enough to get into heaven". Well we then dove headlong into a theological discussion about that topic that lasted quite a while. After lunch, we went back to the nursing home to spend more time with Aunt Evelyn. As we closed our time at the nursing home in the afternoon, we all gathered in prayer with Aunt Evelyn and we prayed for her and for her imminent journey home to her Father. We also prayed for the grief and loss of those that would be left behind.
Well Aunt Evelyn did pass on about a month later and we went to Ohio to attend the funeral. I got a chance to talk privately with Glenn and gave him a favorite book of mine called "How Good is Good Enough?" by Andy Stanley. The bottom line is that a couple months later, my mother told me she had spoken with Glenn and he said he had really been thinking about what we had discussed that day at lunch and that he had read the book I had given him. The premise of the book of course is that we all fall short of God's standard for us and that we all need a Savior. Glenn said he understood the book's premise and he also said that it helped him to forgive people who he had never yet forgiven. I don't know exactly what is in Glenn's heart, but I do know that God is working on him. Please pray for him.
Our passage today talks about how Jesus came for the sinners. There is no moral bar that you have to achieve first before you can enter into a relationship with Jesus. In fact, Jesus loved to spend time with the "sinners" of that day. He spent much more time with the thieves, tax collectors and prostitutes, then He did with the "church leaders" of the day. This verse is for all of us because we all fall short and sin every day. But it is especially for those who think they are not good enough or are not worthy enough to even approach God or be loved by Him. It is not at all about what good we have done (or not done), it is simply about what Jesus has already done for us on the cross. So in reality, *none* of us is good enough, but we have an advocate standing up for us that is not only good enough, but is perfect! Remember your perfect Savior today and thank Him for what He has done for all of us.
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
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