Believe and Accept // John 1:12

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, NLT)

Today’s verse really got me thinking. I particularly like how the New Living Translation balances the notion of believing and accepting. It might seem as though they are synonymous, but that isn’t exactly correct. Many people believe in God and know there is a Jesus without allowing that to change them. Jesus’ half-brother, James, pointed out that even the demons believe in God and tremble, but that belief does not activate transformation in life (James 1:12). When we see that the Bible calls us to believe and accept, that refers to surrendering our entire life over to Jesus and not just give Him a seat at our proverbial table. It’s about believing that God is real and accepting His will and way as correct. That’s transformative! So, I hope you will do more than just believe that God is real, but accept that God knows what’s best. Then, surrender your will to Christ and you will find a life made available to you that you never thought possible.