PEOPLE OFTEN SAY TO ME: “I wish I could be accepted by God and get close to Him, but I don’t think I’m good enough or worthy of that”. The irony is that those who don’t feel good enough are the very people who are! That’s the whole point. God doesn’t respond to people who think they’re too good for God and that they do not need Him. You see, people who do not feel good enough are the very people who He gathers to Himself. For those who feel unworthy before God are humble, self-effacing and open to being restored. If I may put it like this: God collects wrecks. You know how there’s that cool guy down the road who collects shiny custom cars. Only the best for him. He doesn’t do them up. He just buys them all shiny and ready for collection. God isn’t like that at all. God collects wrecks and then does them up. Jesus said as much: “I have not come to call those who think they are righteous, but to call the sinful to come to repentance” (Gospel of Luke, chapter 5, verse 32). Someone who thinks, “I’m cool. How could God NOT want me around?”, is the very last person who God normally draws to Himself (though He is a God of surprises and can draw anyone to Himself if He wants to — even by wrecking the guy’s car so he has no idol!). The real ekklesia is not designed for ready-made shiny egos but it is full of restored wrecks. Those who think they are squeaky-clean can apply elsewhere. (The Greek word, ekklesia, is what I use for the *true* church to distinguish it from the counterfeit). Of that true ekklesia it can be said:

“Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence”.

First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 26-29

So, instead of saying, “I’m not good enough for God”, try saying, “Dear God, please restore me to how I should be because I can’t do it myself”. I promise you, without any hesitation whatsoever, that He will honour that request. That’s a guarantee.

There is a lovely song to illustrate this, which I have attached to this little piece of writing. It’s called “Broken Things” by Julie Miller. She is the wife of Buddy Miller, who has worked with artists such as: Johnny Cash, Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Robert Plant and many more. In this recording, hosted by Emmylou Harris (who you can see a couple of minutes into the song to Buddy’s left), Julie sings “Broken Things” with husband Buddy accompanying on acoustic guitar. The song is a prayer to Jesus, saying, “You can have my heart, if You don’t mind broken things”. This is a perfectly-constructed song with some fabulous lines. “So beyond repair. Nothing I could do. I tried to fix it myself, but it was only worse when I got through”. The lyrics are extremely poignant and mirror precisely what I have written above. God collects wrecks and specializes in restoring them! You had better believe it, because restoration isn’t going to come any other way. Call on God, through Christ, and then find yourself embarking on the only possible spiritual makeover tailor-made for you. Hey, if you know my writings, you’ll know I’m not a purveyor of bullshit. This is real. And in a world of lies and deception, ‘real’ is revolutionary.

Enjoy the song — if “enjoy” is the right word. Maybe “Experience this song” would be better. Speak its lyrics yourself from your own heart.