—–him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.–John 6:37
Physical ailments can really get us down. Sometimes the nicest people in the world can get as cranky as a she bear protecting her cubs–nobody wants to get anywhere near them. Such was the case with Charlotte Elliott. At the age of thirty her health began to fail and she was soon an invalid. It wasn’t long before her sweet disposition turned sour. With her body racked with pain living became a constant burden.
When a preacher visited Charlotte at her home one evening, she complained–“If God loved me, He would not have treated me this way”.
The wise preacher responded kindly, but with boldness, “You are tired of yourself, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You are holding to your hate and anger because you have nothing else in the world to cling to”, he said. Then he proceeded to explain God’s grace through Jesus Christ, and told her she could come to Christ just as she was and be saved.
That struck a note. Charlotte was deeply impressed at the thought of coming to Christ just as she was, and she trusted Christ as her Savior later that evening.
Fourteen years later, on the anniversary of her new birth, she penned the words to the famous hymn,”Just As I Am”. She couldn’t forget the wonderful privilege of being able to come to Christ just as she was. So can you!
That was true then and it’s true now. It was true of Charlotte and it’s true for you. We need not, in fact we cannot make any changes that would make us acceptable to God. We come to Him as we are or not at all. Our only plea and our only hope is the shed blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. Will you come to Him right now–remember, you can come just as you are!
