Come!
By Elin Henderson
"And the spirit and the bride
say come…”
We all love receiving an invitation
in the mail. Whether it is to come to a wedding, a birthday party, a holiday
celebration or baby shower, we are thrilled to be included and able to share in
the joy of the event. Implicit in the
invitation is the fact that provision has been made for you to attend. There’s
no need for worry. There will be food for you, a place at a table will be set
and a name tag will be waiting at the door. We know that the host has made
provision, and we can relax and enjoy the celebration!
Reading through the Scriptures, I am
always amazed by the number of times that Christ liberally shares an open
invitation for all people to come. “Come
follow me and be my disciples…Come and drink... Come find everlasting life and
salvation... Come find rest in me.” (Mark 8:34; John 7:37; John 3:16,17;
Matthew 11:28)
These aren’t empty invitations. They
can only exist because provision has been made, a place has been prepared and
set. We can come to Him because He first came to us! He “…came to seek and save...came to comfort…
came to enable…came to give life.” (Luke 19:10; John 15:26; Acts 1:8; John
10:10)
When we accept this invitation, we
can be assured of “…a place at His table…our
name written in the registry…a down payment/seal that has been placed upon us…the
full price of our attendance has been paid…our needs being met on our journey
along the way.” (Revelation 19:9; Philippians 4:3; Ephesians 4:30; I Corinthians
6:20; Philippians 4:19)
He comes (bringing all the provision
we need); we accept the invitation and come (choosing to believe it to be so);
and amazing things happen! Now that’s an invitation that we just can’t pass up!
Let’s pass it on and share it with others! He came so we could come!
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Can you think of someone who needs to hear about this
invitation? Start praying that God will open a door for you to share it with
him or her!
2.
Perhaps you have already accepted this invitation to salvation. What
about the other invitations Christ offers post-salvation, like: victory over
sin, peace in the midst of struggle or His strength in weakness? Have you
picked up those invitations and come to Him by faith - - believing that He will
indeed provide?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa.
Elin is mother to fifteen-year-old Callie and thirteen-year-old Elias.
