Though you trust Jesus for your salvation, you may be a bit like me and struggle with feeling accepted by God in light of your sin. I know that if I find myself struggling with sin in the same area of if I just go a few days without spending time with God; I lose the confidence to approach and enjoy Him. Maybe He's unhappy with me, maybe He won't even listen to what I have to say, He's not going to want to meet with me. Ultimately this is a symptom of not trusting Jesus, not believing the gospel. Take a second and think about this: what is the basis of your confidence before God?
Let's say you feel confident before Him as His child when things are going great (victory over sin, fruitful time in prayer and the Word, living on mission) yet you feel disqualified and defeated in the times of struggle and dryness. What is your confidence resting on? Your works: ‘God accepts me because I live holy; God welcomes me because I am consistent in prayer and His Word; God loves me because I live on mission.' Do you ever think like that (maybe not out loud, but maybe you live it)?
Jesus came to set us free from trusting in our merits as the means by which God accepts us. If I look at the consistent failures of my life I realize that I can never approach God, even in light of my "successes." But what if I look at the true successes of another, someone with not even speck of failure? Is that where hope is found? (I hate to ruin the ending, but the answer is ‘yes')
He is able to save forever those whodraw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 8:25)
The only hope of salvation you and I have, our only hope for acceptance, is to look away from our failures and our merits and look to Jesus. How many times do you try to draw near to God through your good works? Hebrews tells us that acceptance is only found when we draw near through Jesus! There are highs and lows in my walk with God, but because of Jesus I never have to doubt that God loves me, hears me, and accepts me. I can always hop into my Father's lap because my Big Brother is sitting at His right hand advocating me for. He succeeded where I failed, He proved victorious where I am defeated, His merits guarantee salvation where mine guarantee damnation. So the next time you feel like you can't confidently come to God, remember that you come not according to what you've done, but because of what Christ has done.
Let this Christmas season compel us to treasure Jesus as the all-satisfying Savior that He truly is.