Come

                                                                           

 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28(NKJV)

 

“Come!  All you have to do is come!  If you are weary, come!  If you are discouraged, come! If you are afraid, come! If you mess up, come!  You don’t have to do anything else - just come!”

The young preacher almost burst with enthusiasm as he preached a message that seemed to consist of nothing more than a repetition of the words “just come”. As a young Christian visiting a new church, I was not impressed. In fact, I remember thinking that I could have preached a better sermon myself.

 

 

Fast forward more than 30 years.  As a senior, more mature Christian I can’t tell you how many times that sermon has crossed my mind. Throughout the years, I have heard many elegant, 3 point sermons with multiple Bible references. Most of those sermons are no longer in my memory. But the sermon by the young preacher repeating the words “just come” remains with me.

 

 

Why? Because it is true.  For many years, I thought that I had to do something before I came back to God. When I messed up, I would try harder the next day. Inevitably, the next day I would fall flat on my face. I struggled so hard, but I could never get it all right.

 

The good news is that I don’t have to struggle. Jesus already lived a perfect life when He walked on this earth. He already took my punishment when He died on the cross. All I need to do is to admit that I am wrong then run into the arms of my Father. He is standing there ready to welcome me. All I have to do is to just come.

 

What good news!  What amazing grace! Coming to Christ for salvation is a gift - not something that I earn. My ongoing relationship with God is also by grace alone. When I sin, I just need to admit that I am wrong, then “come - just come”.  It’s that simple. The young preacher was right after all.