Come to Jesus

Posted On August 8, 2021

“Then Jesus said,
‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.'”

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Chris Rice wrote a beautiful song about the Christian walk officially titled, “Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus).” In it, he describes all the stages of faith we may experience from first becoming a believer to finally flying home to heaven. Each verse chronicles a different phase of life as a follower of Jesus. I have highlighted these with readings from some of my favorite books. I have also included a video of Chris Rice’s song at the end of this post. The wisdom of these Christian authors and the meaningful words of this hymn have been an inspiration to me. I hope they will be for you, too. Enjoy!

Come to Jesus

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 GNT

Jesus calls us to Him. He died to save us from sin and death, and all we have to do is accept His free gift. Because of His sacrifice, we can live with Him forever in paradise. But we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven. Jesus also blesses our lives here on earth. He gives us grace to cover our mistakes and empowers us to live holy lives. And when we learn to trust Him, we will see Him do amazing things. Come to Jesus . . . and live!

“I AM ABLE to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish. Ask My Spirit to control your mind so that you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life.”
~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

Sing to Jesus

“Sing to him, sing praise to him. Tell about all the wonderful things he has done.”

Psalm 105:2 NIRV

We were created to worship our Lord. When we praise Him in song, we connect to Him in a unique way. Our spirit touches His Spirit, and the experience of being in His presence changes us. As we commune with Him in song, we become fully focused on Him and we are transformed to be more like Him. We feel His love. We see His light. And we long to share it with the rest of the world. Sing to Jesus . . .

“The whole purpose of coming before the King is to praise him, to live in recognition of his splendor. Praise — lifting up our heart and hands, exulting with our voices, singing his praises — is the occupation of those who dwell in the kingdom. Praise is the highest occupation of any being. . . . We reestablish the proper chain of command; we recognize that the King is on the throne and that he has saved his people.”
~Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

Fall on Jesus

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 NIV

Becoming a Christian is only the first step in a long journey. As we learn to trust Christ to lead us, we will often face temptations calling us to turn away from Him. If we give in, we will stumble. We may even fall off the path completely. But Jesus never gives up on us. He understands that learning from our mistakes is all part of the process. He doesn’t dwell on the past, and He doesn’t want us to do so either. He wants us to accept His grace, not just to save us from death, but also to save us from our sins. When we embrace the grace that He freely gives, we can trust Him to catch us when we fall. This assurance frees us from guilt and shame and leads us to a life filled with the joy that only He can give. Fall on Jesus . . .

“Faith doesn’t only mean you are forgiven. It doesn’t only mean that you are freed from the penalty your sins earned. Faith means you are given grace — all the richest blessings of heaven that you could never, ever earn. Forgiveness is sweet relief; grace is unending joy and delight.”
~The Weekly Faith Project

Cry to Jesus

“He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.”

Psalm 147:3 TPT

We all know that life is filled with pain. Becoming a Christian does not mean we won’t have to experience hardship. But becoming a Christian does mean that we won’t ever be alone in our suffering. Jesus promises to be with us no matter what we face. He promises to give us strength for our struggles, courage for our battles, wisdom for our trials, and healing for our broken hearts. When we are hurting, He wants us to reach out to Him. He longs to comfort us and dry our tears. Cry to Jesus . . .

“There are tragic, life-changing moments that can be extremely difficult to survive. An unexpected trial strikes you with a force that knocks you off your feet — the pain and loss far more intense than you ever thought possible. Stunned and overwhelmed, your mind will look for some explanation to cling to. . . . During these times of heartbreak, it is extremely important for you to remember . . . As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances. You may not know why this adversity has come into your life, but you can trust that God is with you and loves you. . . . Always remember that God is ultimately in control, His love for you never changes, and His will for your life is good. You are not a victim. You are God’s beloved child and He has an extraordinary plan for your life, so have faith in Him.”
~Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

Dance for Jesus

“Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!”

Psalm 150:4 NLT

Have you ever done a happy dance? I have. Overwhelmed by great news, I started jumping around, unable to contain my joy. What better news is there than the Good News itself — the gospel of Jesus Christ! If we let the reality of what Jesus has done for us fill our hearts, we will be overcome with His love. The love will spill over and lead to uncontainable joy. Let’s celebrate it! Dance for Jesus . . .

“The reason God loves you is that he has chosen to love you. You are loved even when you don’t feel lovely. Others may abandon you, divorce you, and ignore you. God will love you. These are his words: ‘I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved’ (Romans 9:25 MSG). Let this love happen in your life. Let this love give birth to the greatest joy: ‘I am beloved by heaven.'”
~Max Lucado, Happy Today

Fly to Jesus

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:4 NLT

At the end of our Christian journey is a destination more amazing and beautiful than we could possible imagine. We will leave this broken world and enter into a place of wonder, joy, and love. The earth will be restored and so will we. There will be no more pain and no more sorrow. We will live forever with our Lord and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we leave this world, we will enter a place that will amaze and delight us every minute. We will be filled with laughter and awe and praise. We will be home! Fly to Jesus . . .

“When I anticipate what my first glimpse of Heaven will be like, I remember the first time I went snorkeling. Etched in my memory is a certain sound, one that startled me several times, causing me to look all around me. Then I realized what it was: the sound of my own gasp going through the snorkel as I marveled at the sights. I imagine our first glimpse of Heaven will cause us to similarly gasp in amazement and delight. That first gasp will likely be followed by many more as we encounter new sights in that endlessly wonderful place. . . . A world alive, fresh, beautiful. A world devoid of pain, suffering, and war. A world without earthquakes, without tsunamis, without tragedy. A world ruled by the only One worthy of ruling.”
~Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

This week’s Scripture passages give us wisdom and inspiration for each stage of our Christian journey. Below them, I have also included a video of Chris Rice’s beautiful song. As we walk in faith, we are never walking alone. Jesus calls us to Him and then He stays by our side every step of the way. He leads us to abundant life on this earth and to eternal life in paradise. Come to Jesus and live!

“The good news is a concrete, reality-grounded call to happiness: Jesus really did become a man, go to the cross, and rise from the grave. He truly is with us now and will return one day. . . . What if we spread the extraordinarily good news of Jesus by offering people the happiness they long for?”
~Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10 ESV

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• “come to Jesus _ Chris Rice.” YouTube, uploaded by Hanna Cho, 23 March 2010, https://youtu.be/v37_uH_3MzU.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• Lucado, Max. Happy Today: A Guided Journal to Genuine Joy. Thomas Nelson, 2019.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• The Weekly Faith Project: A Challenge to Journal, Reflect, and Cultivate a Genuine Faith. Zondervan, 2019.
• Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories. Thomas Nelson, 2019.

Images:

• Cross on Mountain featured image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay
• Cross Landscape image by cgrape from Pixabay
• Music Notes image by Please Don’t sell My Artwork AS IS from Pixabay
• Praying Man image by chiplanay from Pixabay
• Broken Heart image by Prawny from Pixabay
• Dancer image by Marta Cuesta from Pixabay
• Dove image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay
• Cross image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay