How Do We Accept Jesus?
So often we hear the question, “Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?” But how do we accept Jesus?
So often in the various religions, we hear statements that are just things people say because everyone else says them. But so often the statement means nothing except some vague idea. But there is a very real sense in which we would actually be accepting Jesus into our spiritual heart. To accept Jesus into our heart, we must live the teachings he taught. Jesus taught us the spiritual aspect of the Torah. This is an, “Well of course!” He was a Jew, and was often found in the synagogue teaching and learning.
One of the greatest commandments in the Torah is to love the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the one Jesus called his Father. In Deuteronomy 6:5 we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. This is unconditional love in the very real sense of the word.
In Luke 10:25-28, Jesus taught us that to gain eternal life (in the presence of the God of Israel) we must love the God of Israel with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This again is pure love without conditions.
No matter what religion we are, or what we believe, we can not go wrong by living unconditional love without judgment. When we know this kind of love, we know the God of Israel, the Father of Jesus, we know our wonderful, heavenly Father. Then, obviously, when we truly accept Jesus into our hearts, we choose to live in the way of loving kindness, the way of Abraham. We only respond in kindness no matter how anyone treats us. If we stop this kind of love from flowing to God, ourselves, and others, then we are also denying Jesus.
