“‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30) Dearest reader, what prevents you from coming? What is it that you’ve determined is needed to come? Why do you tarry? There is a common damnable error in today’s era, and this is not new, for it has plagued mankind since sometime shortly after the fall in the Garden. It is the error of thinking that we have time, that there is always tomorrow to answer the bidding from the Lord. Satan has gained (if nothing else) temporary victory over you if this be the case. We are on borrowed time, time given us from the Lord, and it is God who has appointed for you the day in which He will repossess that time, He will call you to Himself. How do you propose you will stand before this thrice holy God, this God who is perfect, just, and righteous? You deliberately have tarried in the call, you’ve forsaken His Son, His work, and His salvation so that you could continue in the fleeting pleasure of sin for your brief life. Tomorrow is not promised, so do not tarry. We read the following in Holy Scripture, “for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’—” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Maybe it is not the pleasure of sin holding you back from obeying the call, but maybe your convinced you need something before you can come. What may it be? Conviction? Contrition? Utter brokenness? Stop your excuses and stop delaying. The call is to come dearest reader, come to Him trusting that He is willing and able to save to the uttermost any and all that diligently seek Him. You say, “I’ve not enough conviction.” Do you understand you’re sinful, that you’ve no hope apart from Christ? Do you believe that Jesus is your only hope of ever being saved from the wrath of God? Then you’ve enough conviction, come, come at once. Is it contrition you’re seeking before heeding the call? Tell me where do you find contrition as a requirement in the bidding from our Lord to come unto Him? Contrition will come with time, especially as you gaze upon what your sin cost the Christ, as you behold His love toward you in His substitutionary death on the cross for you. Let not contrition or the lack thereof keep you back, but acknowledge and believe that because of your sin you are worthy of death and after that the judgment, leading to the eternal outpouring of God’s wrath upon you. Therefore your only hope lies in the perfect and spotless Lamb of God, who though He knew no sin, became sin for you that you would become the righteousness of God in Him. Seek Him diligently, whether you’ve contrition or not, and the more you behold Him the more you will gain a true godly sorrow over your sin. You say, “I’m not broken enough to come.” What entails your definition of being broken enough? Is not the word of God which states your standing as sinful, deserving of death, and after that the judgment enough to be broken over? You’ve no hope in and of yourself, so you are broken whether you realize it or not. Apart from seeking the Lord and obeying His calling to come unto Him, you stand condemned with the wrath of God abiding upon you. Obey the calling, seek Him, and don’t stop seeking Him, trusting that He is God, that God has raised the Lord from death, and you will not be put to shame but greatly rewarded.
Dearest reader, there is no cleaning yourself up before coming to Him. There is nothing needing done before answering this bidding from the mouth of the Lord. Cast away that which so easily ensnares you, turn from that which you have been living for and seek diligently this King of kings and Lord of lords. “Seek Yahweh while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7) What is your duty in all of this? Repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. This means deny yourself, turn to Christ and live, turning to Christ from the life of sin you’ve delighted in. The call is a simple one. “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22) How do we turn to this One worthy of our allegiance, loyalty, honor, and obedience? By turning to Him away from our sin, away from self-righteousness. Dearest reader, your excuses are nothing more than pride and self-righteousness. I say this not to shame you, but to open your eyes to the truth. We as fallen man tend to create excuses or justifications as to why we can’t come, whatever that may look like (i.e. not being broken enough, lacking contrition and/or conviction, we can’t let go of this particular sin(s)). What do those excuses boil down to? It points us to a lack of obedience and trust in the Lord and His ability and willingness to save to the uttermost. We think we must have this or that before we can come, before we can seek Him, but it’s ultimately a focus on self, whether that appears as “I can’t let go of this and come”, or, “I do not have this so I can’t come.”
I ask not what your excuses are, whether seemingly justifiable or not, for there is no reason for your tarrying. Test not the Lord your God, for His wrath abides upon you in your current state. “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and prepared it.” (Psalm 7:11-12) To quote R.C. Sproul, he has said, “God’s grace is not infinite. God is infinite, and God is gracious. We experience the grace of an infinite God, but grace is not infinite. God sets limits to His patience and forbearance. He warns us over and over again that someday the ax will fall and His judgment will be poured out.” He has shown great longsuffering to you thus far, extending mercy and grace such as you’ve never deserved. Yet this all will eventually come to end if you continue to carry on in your sins, if you continue to neglect and forsake Him. We bring nothing to Him, for we have nothing but the very sin that requires our salvation, and yet He bids us come unto Him. Bring your lack of brokenness, your want for contrition and conviction, your self-righteousness and all your sins, come to Him with it all. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Dearest reader, put this off no longer, for your eternity depends upon this calling and your obedience to it. Look to self no longer, long for nothing but Him, forsake all and come unto Him.
You’re lost in your current state, separated from God, and drawing nearer and nearer to your last breath. Look to Him, behold the risen and reigning Lord who holds forth His hand beckoning you come. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) He beckons you come with the one hand, all the while holding back His wrath with the other, but one day He will drop both hands and you’ll be left to endure the never-ending flood and fury of His wrath. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) This waiting for whatever it is you’re desiring from Him before answering His call, do you believe you will ever find it apart from Him? You very may well be left waiting your whole life, tarrying until your time is called and you stand in judgment. I urge you dearest reader, tarry no more, seek Him, come unto Him, and find yourself safe under His wing, covered by His blood, hidden within His side, safe within His pierced hands. “For thus says Yahweh, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it a formless place, but formed it to be inhabited), ‘I am Yahweh, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a formless place’; I, Yahweh, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright. ‘Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations; they do not know, who carry about their graven image of wood and pray to a god who cannot save. Declare and draw near with your case; indeed, let them consult together. Who has made this heard from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior;there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, ‘Only in Yahweh are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In Yahweh all the seed of Israel will be justified and will boast.” (Isaiah 45:18-25)