“Jesus was judgmental, as the psychotherapist is not, or at least theoretically is not supposed to be. Jesus got in people’s way and told them they were doing wrong. He told them to stop and turn around. He did not tell them they were accepted as they were. He told them they could be accepted, and that God is an accepting God. He said that to be accepted by God also means right now to become a different person.” – John Howard Yoder Preface to Theology p.327

How about it? Has the Spirit of Jesus gotten in your way lately? Do you stop and turn around when he tells you to? Did you know that was part of the deal? You may have missed that part. It pays to read the fine print.

Oh, and by the way, this doesn’t mean the song Just As I Am is wrong – but it does mean we might need to sing another one after it that says: okay now that you’re here, it’s time to change.