As Is   

Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?  Philip Yancey

Have you ever bought something “AS IS”?  It works like this.  You know there is something wrong with the item you are buying but you buy it anyway.  You take a chance that the thing you are buying will operate or work properly even though you know there is something wrong with it. 

Sometimes another person bought the item and returned it but the store can’t sell it as new so they sell it “as is”.  So there is not really anything wrong with the item, the person just didn’t want it.  Then other times someone bought it, it doesn’t work properly, they returned it and it’s not going to work properly for you either.  Then there is the third scenario where someone bought it, broke it, returned it and when you get it home it’s not going to work either.

We are born new but life breaks us.  There might not really be much wrong with us but someone rejects us.  So there is a defect so we are thrown into the return bin.  Then other times we are rolling along through life and things are going well and we have a health issue and now we’re broken.  Then there is the really tragic circumstance where someone breaks us physically, emotionally or verbally and we are rejected again and back in the broken bin. 

This concept fascinates me because God doesn’t work that way.  God takes us “AS IS”.  He loves us no matter what we do.  He takes us back time and again because of that very love.  We mess up, we are defective, we are thrown back in the used, broken, rejected bin and God reaches in and takes us back broken and all, “AS IS”.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we are often rejected on this earth by others because we don’t measure up to their expectations.  I love that you accept me sin and all.  You accept the broken, rejected me when others might not.  Thank you for loving me even when I end up in the “AS IS” bin.        

Scripture:    What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written:  “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:31-39