Verse of the Day 12/16

Verse  of the Day 12/16/16

 

Matthew 11:28   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

When you first read today's verse, you may not think of it as a "Christmas" verse, but it is a verse for us for every day of the year, perhaps especially at Christmas.  "The season" can fill us with  all kinds of worries  and anxieties, some  justified, others simply pressures that  we bring on  ourselves.  The focus the verse today is that first word "come".

 

When  I first think  of  that  word  in  relation to  Christmas I think of how it  is mentioned in  so many Christmas hymns, such as "Come  Thou Long Expected Jesus" or "O Come All Ye Faithful".  The first points to those who were looking  for Jesus' birth, the coming  of the  Messiah.  The Christmas story shares examples of Zechariah and Simeon as  those  devout  followers that  were looking and would find there hope in Him.  The second, " O Come All Ye Faithful" is a call to believers to acknowledge and praise  God for His wonderful gift and  to worship Christ.

 

But the word "come" also applies to us believers who long for His return.  Charles Spurgeon writes, "this is not only Christ's cry to you, but, if you be a believer, this is your cry to Christ--"Come! come!" You will be longing for his second advent; you will be saying, "Come quickly, even so come Lord Jesus." You will be panting for nearer and closer communion with him. As his voice to you is "Come," your response to him will be, "Come, Lord, and abide with me. Come, and occupy alone the throne of my heart; reign there without a rival, and consecrate me entirely to thy service."

 

Come, thou long expected Jesus, 
born to set thy people free; 
from our fears and sins release us, 
let us find our rest in thee. 
Israel's strength and consolation, 
hope of all the earth thou art; 
dear desire of every nation, 
joy of every longing heart. 

Born thy people to deliver, 
born a child and yet a King, 
born to reign in us forever, 
now thy gracious kingdom bring. 
By thine own eternal spirit 
rule in all our hearts alone; 
by thine all sufficient merit, 
raise us to thy glorious throne. 

 

We praise God that Jesus was born than night a couple of thousand  years  ago, we come  to  Him in praise, we worship Him and celebrate Him but we also  have that longing  for His  return, and we come  to Him to  find  our rest until He does, to "raise us to Hid  glorious throne."

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Matthew 11:27-30The Message (MSG)

 

27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

 

28-30 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

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