You Don't Have to be Perfect, But You Have to be Honest

 "And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go, for the day has broken.' But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' Then he said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.' " (Genesis 32: 24-28)

The fascinating thing to me is that when Jacob said he wouldn't quit until the angel blessed him, the angel responded by asking Jacob his name. If he was the Angel of the Lord, certainly he knew Jacob's name. So if he wasn't looking for information, what was he doing?

Twenty years earlier, Jacob, at his mother, Rebecca's prodding, tricked his father into giving him the blessing by pretending to be someone he wasn't. And when Isaac asked him who he was he responded, "I am Esau, your firstborn."
He lied, TWICE.

Now twenty years have come and gone. He has been tricked into marrying the wrong woman. He has been cheated out of his wages ten times. The deceiver has been deceived. The conniver has been outmaneuvered and now he is about to face the music with his brother Esau. Thus, what the divine visitor is saying, "Let's try this again! What is your name?"

This time he tells the truth and answers, "Jacob."

That's right. Your name is Jacob, the deceiver, conniver, 'the one who grabs the heal.'

Now that Jacob has told the truth, he can receive the blessing.

His name is now Israel -- 'One who prevails with God.'

The lesson we learn from this is that you don't have to be perfect in order to come to Christ. But you do have to be honest. True repentance requires us to be honest or it is not true repentance.

"Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD."  (Jeremiah 3:13)

Furthermore, 1 John stresses that there needs to be a conscious acknowledging of our sin.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1:9)

So come to Christ just as you are. BE HONEST,  and let him change and bless you.