Just as I am.

Charlotte Elliot penned these beautiful words-
"Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come."
-more than 150 years ago. I am blessed each time I am led to sing this wonderful hymn. The words remind us that regardless of who we are, or of what we have done, our Lord died for us. These simple words tell us that we are welcome, that we are forgiven and that we are cleansed.

Then what?

These words of assurance are for our beginning. They are like the welcome mat at the outset of our walk with Jesus Christ. He welcomes me "Just as I am", but we can not stay "Just as we were"!

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians-
"You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. " Col.3:7-10.
We can add to Paul's list of things that must be rid;addiction.

We accepted Christ's promise. We asked Him to help us stop. Now all that came with a life of addiction must also stop. We can't stop abusing one substance and replace it with another substance or behavior, and think for a moment that we are cleansed. We can't have anger towards the results of our own past behavior, lashing out at the one's who loved us enough to stand beside us when we failed, who stood fast through our recovery, who could have left but never did. We can't lie about our past to pave a better future, that my friend is denial. We can't because of the blood He shed. You see there is no forgiveness without the shedding of His blood. Without forgiveness there is no hope. Without forgiveness there is no relief.

When we continue just as we were, we water down the blood of Christ. And when we add water and more water and then more by our refusal to accept a new and renewed image, we end up with nothing more than a stagnate puddle to stand in...alone.

Father, I pray that we accept and embrace the new image your created for us. I pray that these words open our eyes-
"Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come."