APPROACH QUESTION:
If you are seen as an outcast by many people around you and someone comes to you and asks you to follow them, will you? Why or why not?

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what do we learn about Jesus' CAPABILITY?
1. Jesus is capable of drawing large crowds.
2. Jesus is capable of teaching large crowds.
3. Jesus is capable of drawing followers no matter their profession.

Interpretation:
I asked myself what is significant about Jesus asking a tax-collector to follow Him?
As my friend David commented last night, Levi was  despised because he was a tax-collector and yet Jesus looked beyond that. Jesus came for the sick and not for the healthy.

Oh how true that is. Later, Jesus says, 'It is the sick that need the doctor and not the healthy. I have come for the unrighteous and not for the righteous.'

Jesus looked for every opportunity to draw followers to Himself no matter their profession. In those days, the tax-collectors were dubious in their dealings with people's taxes saving them for themselves. It would not be surprising if Levi did that but Jesus still called him.

Interpretation:
I asked myself, why did Levi decide to give up his profession to follow Jesus especially when he knew where the money was coming from and he was making a decent living?
As my friend David commented last night, Levi chose to give up his profession to follow Jesus because he did not have job satisfaction where he was at. Yes, he was making the money but he did not have any friends because he was despised. Levi probably heard about Jesus already because word got around so now when Jesus asks him to follow, Levi does not hesitate but leaves his job.

Observations/Interpretations/Applications:
I asked myself what do I learn about Jesus' character and it's implication for our own lives?
As Al commented last night, Jesus had that compassion about Him that drew even the most despised to Him.  In today's society, those that are mentally ill or addicts are seen as today's tax-collectors because they are despised or seen as outcasts just as lepers were but Jesus reaches out to them to accept them too.

Jesus is counter-cultural. Regardless of what people think about Levi and how much he maybe despised, Jesus values him as a person and tells him to follow him regardless of his background. Jesus wants us to bring people to Jesus in their weaknesses. 

I praise the Lord Jesus so much for my friend Annette who is doing her serving among the addicts of today helping them with rehabilitation. She could have taken her summer of but time after time has done an internship or is doing an internship in different places which motivated me to get back into counseling :)

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what do I  learn about Levi and the significance of that?
It must have meant a world to Levi to be asked to go along with Jesus, who was a celebrity of that day especially since Levi was despised. Now, Levi got up and followed Jesus. He left what he was doing and went along with Jesus. This is significant because after having an encounter with Jesus, he was willing to give up his job that was causing pain to a lot of people. Jesus drew him in! In a way, Jesus ran to Levi to accept him and Levi came to Jesus! Jesus initiated the contact and accepted Levi to the point that Levi felt comfortable following Jesus.

Implications:
I asked myself what are the implications to my own life?
No matter where I have been or what I have done, when Jesus calls that is a time to celebrate. I need to put my guilt and past behind and follow Jesus, being accepted by Jesus, for Jesus gives us acceptance.     

I ask you now dear friend, where are you looking for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E in life?
Dear friend, human beings were made to be in a relationship with God and each other. Sin marred that bond and corrupted it. Yet, deep inside of every human being there is a desire for acceptance and they look for it in different places. I guess Levi looked to his job for acceptance even though it hurt a lot of people.

Friend, I don’t know where you go for acceptance. Many times it seems easier to run for acceptance to different areas that can be detrimental to our lives. Yet these areas cannot really give us acceptance but Jesus will and can. He has given you free will and you can run to Him! Jesus runs to you and wants to give you new life. Yes, He does! Oh yes, He does!

I want you to know no matter whom we have been, where we have been, what we have done, why we have done it; the Lord does not forsake us. Jesus calls to us just as He did Levi. He wants us to follow Him! 

To want to be accepted is in all of us because we were made to be in community, to love and be loved. There is nothing wrong to want to be accepted as long as we realize that what matters the most is how we view ourselves in the perception of a Holy God. Acceptance can become twisted when we do not have the right perspective. After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve did not believe God could accept them in their naked bodies anymore. Because of sin, their idea of acceptance became twisted too. But God showed them even amidst their sin, His common grace was not going to abandon them so God sacrificed an animal to cloth them with the animal's skin. This was to foreshadow what God would do for each one of us one day when Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb to cloth us with His Righteousness.  Jesus did that so God could accept us despite of the despicable nature of our sin when we turned to Christ and asked Him to cover us in His precious cleansing blood because of His agape love for us to accept us as we are.
Yes, friend!

Friend, so that we could be accepted by God even in our sin, God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life.

Just as an animal was sacrificed to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ became the Lamb of God who was sacrificed to cover our nakedness of sin. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross of Calvary shedding His precious cleansing blood so the blood of the Lamb of God can cover you and me from head to toe no matter what our sin has been. His precious blood became our antidote. Jesus became our donor when Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and came back to life to save us so we can be accepted by the Father.

God did not have to accept us anymore after what we had done because sin marred our relationship with Him but God went through the pain for us to restore us to a relationship with Him. That is how much He loves us unconditionally. When we don't deserve His love, He still loves us and accepts us. He loves you so much no matter where you have been, what you have done, why you have done it. His love for you is unconditional because of His grace that none of us deserve but He gives it to us. That is exciting to know friend!

Levi did not deserve the love of Christ for how bad he was but Jesus called to him to come and follow him. Later, we find out that Jesus says, 'It is the sick that need the doctor and not the healthy. I have come for the unrighteous and not for the righteous.'

Jesus did not come for those who think they have it all together but came for those who are down and out and know they are sinful and need a Redeemer to ransom them from their sin.

Friend, Jesus became that Redeemer to redeem you and me and He runs to you and me. Yes, He does. It is exciting to know for me that Jesus accepts me as I am in the condition I am in. He will build me up and make me all that He wants me to be. I cannot do it on my own but it is by the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ that I can be all that He wants me to be. You can be all that He wants you to be as you turn to Him. Turn to Him as you are and allow Him to work in your life.

If you are thinking the good works you do will help you find acceptance with Jesus then you have missed the whole point of Jesus calling Levi. Jesus did not accept Levi because he was doing good but on the contrary Levi was oppressing his own people the Jews to work for Rome. Yet, it is to this tax-collector that Jesus came and asked him to follow Jesus.

Friend, we all need Jesus because for 'No one is righteous not one. All have fallen short of the glory of God... All our good works are like filthy rags to the Lord..'

That just shows that we are not accepted by the good works we think we do. No friend, none of us can be accepted by God in His Holiness because we think we are good and do good. No matter how much good we think we do, God can always find a law or command we have broken. If we have even broken one command which we all have then we are no longer completely good.

Since we are no longer completely good then God in His Holiness cannot allow someone who is not good into His presence because He is a Holy God. All 99.9% of good does not erase the 0.1% of bad we have done. That is the bad news that we cannot be accepted for what we think we do.

The Good News is that is why Jesus came. Jesus came to rescue each one of us. When we accept the transfusion of change by receiving the purest, reddest blood of Jesus Christ into our system, the deadly virus in us is being washed and wiped away by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Now when God looks at us, He sees Christ's cleansing blood covering over us and His judgment will pass over us. We will be seen as righteous in the eyes of the Lord and know we are accepted. Yes, friend, Jesus loves you so much and accepts you as you are when you turn to Him not because of anything you have done but for everything He has done.

"It is by grace we have been saved through faith and not of good works lest anyone boast!"

When you feel accepted by Jesus, you will realize the magnitude of His love for you, and out of gratitude you would want to do good things but now these good works are a result of the Holy Spirit working in your life and directing you. That is exciting to know.

It is the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus that allows us to have that personal relationship with Him making Him our Lord and Personal Savior daily.

Friend, he loves you so much as you are. If you have been into pornography, you can go to Him. If you have been promiscuous in life you can go to Him, if you have been addicted to powder substances you can go to Him, if you have been into alcohol you can go to Him, if you have any type of addiction, you can go to Him, etc. Friend Jesus wants you to be addicted to Jesus alone because no matter where you have been to find acceptance, know that only the love of Christ can help you find true acceptance. When you find acceptance in Christ, He will put people your way to help you experience His love in a deeper way.

I praise the Lord and thank the Lord for my friend Annette, who specifically prayed for me that I would find acceptance in the arms of Christ always so that I can experience the depths of His love. Even as Annette prayed for me, I found a wonderful book that I was able to finish called, "If Jesus Loves Me, How Do I Know? Experiencing the DEPTHS of God's Love." By Christine A. Dallman & J. Isamu Yamamoto.

To experience the acceptance that comes from Christ alone is no better feeling. After reading this book, I felt so loved by Jesus because this book shares examples from Scripture of God's love to accept us as we are in our conditions. Praise the Lord!

Only when we find our acceptance in Christ alone first can we be able to love others including our significant other. I can only love Chandra deeply the way Christ wants me to love when I find my acceptance in Him as I am. I can only love the church when I find acceptance in Him as I am. I can only love my family when I find acceptance in Him as I am.

Your accomplishments, your accolades, your academic credentials, etc may make you feel that you are accepted but deep inside when you have them and do not have Christ, you will experience a void.

As Pastor Ed from Oakland International Fellowship put it one day, our joy, humility, and courage can only come when we find our identity in Christ alone and find our acceptance in Him. That is so true because no matter what we do apart from Christ, there is a God-shaped vacuum in all of us that none will satisfy as Christ alone can.

So friend, come as you are and do not ever let guilt or your past keep you from following Jesus. If you think you are not good enough for Jesus to accept you, you are on the right track. It is only when we realize that we are not good enough and humble ourselves before the Lord, He is ready to take us in. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God as Scripture states. This is why Christ came.  

No matter what the scars and stains of the past are, the Lord wants you.

You know how posters say: "Wanted Dead or Alive: Reward for capture of criminal"?

This is done so the prisoner can be caught and lose his freedom.

Jesus wants you so that He can set you free and take you on a new path of life.

"As far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12, TLB)

Yes, He has friend! You can run to Jesus as you are and receive His blessings and abundant life. He wants you because He loves you. No matter what others tell you because of your actions, know that Jesus loves you so much and He is willing to accept you!

You can find acceptance in Jesus and that is the best acceptance to find!

Allow Him to change you rather than waiting until you can make all the changes before coming to Jesus. If that were the case, it would never happen because you would always feel down upon yourself and feel that you are not worthy for the Lord.

The Lord has reached out to tax-collectors, prostitutes, etc. His love has no bounds and He reaches out to you. May you come to the point to accept Christ’s caring everlasting pardon today, allowing now change everyday!

I thank my friend Annette, for motivating me to get back into counseling specifically to help rehabilitate people's minds with the Lord's help to see how much we all  need Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

I thank my friend Cecilia, for encouraging me regarding the poetry I have written that motivates me to write more.

Friends, this poem addresses all the wrong places people look for acceptance and how only the Lord Jesus can help us find true acceptance in Him and the wonderful church community, He will provide in His timing.

Will of the Human
by Ramesh C. Reddy

Human, Human, what have you done with your free will?
What will be your life's final bill?
Will your will take you, up or down hill?
Your mind and heart, how have you decided to fill?
Is it by taking a high drug pill?
In the end, it will only give you a kill!
Whether you are Jack or Jill!
Cause drugs will give your brain a bad chill!

Is it by watching filth?
In the end, your mind will be corruptly built!
As your conscience won't understand innocence from guilt!

Is it by engaging in forbidden acts?
In the end, they will make you realize the dangerous facts!

Is it by joining a street gang?
In the end, there is usually a bang!
As you are hit by a bullet's poisonous fang!

Is it by living your life away from God?
In the end, with joy you cannot nod!
As you are hit by Satan's deceptive rod!

Cause life's bill won't still be paid
And these activities you think are fun will give you a raid!
As your mind and heart start to fade!
Because that's not the reason, you were made!

But there is still a way out!
You can do that with your mouth!
As you take the Savior's route!
Jesus loves you so much, I have no doubt!

Your problems and pain, you can give to Him!
Even when the solutions to your problems look slim!
And your life's future looks dim!

For Jesus paid the ultimate cost!
Upon a rugged Cross for the lost!
That in Him we may have abundant life and not frost!

His shed Blood was for you and me!
His love and healing power is available for you to see!
Through life's trials and tribulations, strong you can be!
For the Holy Spirit will come to thee!
And be your life's answer Key!

In the Savior, when you savor!
In whom, you can find favor!

For He loves you so much!
There is no love as such!

He will lead you by His gentle Hand!
In this troublesome world we call land!

In prayer, as you accept the Lord in your heart!
And let the Lord do the final part!
Satan's fiery arrows you can dart!
Amen!

“A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E is Adapting Caring Character Everyday Pointing Towards A Nurturing Compassionate Emmanuel!” (A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E)/"Where do you look for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to thank you so much for accepting us even though we have done so much that has dishonored you. I thank you Lord that you love us so much and you never see us as being beyond your reach. You reach out to us now no matter how stain filled our past has been and want to fill us with your love and forgiveness; healing us of all our sin and accepting us. Thank you so much Lord for running to us, putting your arms around us, wiping the tears from our eyes, and forgiving us. We are never out of your love and never out of your reach. You love us as we are. We give our lives to thee and are sorry for all our sins. Thank you that you wipe them away and we can have a fresh start! Thank you so much Jesus for the start you give us. We have a new beginning with you Lord and we can live with you and follow you. I thank you for calling Levi to follow you. Thank you for the days you give us even if other days are gone. Thank you for the free will you give us and we can serve you! I pray right now for the one who has been looking for acceptance in the wrong places that they can experience the depths of your love and your love alone. Help us all to do that please Jesus so we can love as you want us to love.  Help us to realize the grace you give always. We thank you that we belong to you. We acknowledge you as our Lord and Personal Savior! Please Jesus come into our heart and make our heart your home. Thank you for making our heart your home. Thank you for living in us and we will live for you and serve you! I thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name We Pray Jesus! Amen!

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen!