December 16

Morning

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matt 11:28 BSB

The cry of the Christian faith is the gentle word, “Come.” The Jewish law sternly said, “Go, take care to follow the path I set before you. Break the commandments, and you will perish; keep them, and you will live.” The law was a dispensation of terror, driving people before it like a whip. But the gospel draws us with the cords of love. Jesus is the good Shepherd who goes before His sheep, bidding them follow Him, always leading them onward with the sweet invitation, “Come.” The law pushes away, while the gospel pulls us near. The law shows the vast distance between God and humanity, but the gospel bridges that great divide, bringing the sinner across it. From the first moment of your spiritual life until you enter into glory, Christ’s call to you will always be, “Come to Me.”

Just as a mother reaches out her hand to her little child, encouraging it to walk by saying, “Come,” so Jesus does with us. He always stays ahead of us, bidding us follow Him as a soldier follows his captain. He will always go before us, clearing the way, and we will hear His voice calling us to follow Him throughout life. Even in the solemn hour of death, His comforting words will be, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father.”

And this is not only Christ’s call to you—it is also the cry of every believer to Christ: “Come, Lord, come!” You will long for His second coming, saying, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” You will yearn for closer communion with Him. As His voice calls to you, “Come,” your heart will respond, “Come, Lord, and dwell with me! Take the throne of my heart, reign without a rival, and consecrate me fully to Your service!”

Evening

You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth. — Isa 48:8 BSB

“You have neither heard nor understood!” How painful it is to realize that, to some extent, this accusation can apply to believers, who are often spiritually dull and insensitive. We should mourn over the fact that we do not listen to God’s voice as we should: “You have not heard!” The Holy Spirit stirs gently within our souls, but we often ignore His movements. He whispers divine commands and expressions of love, but our sluggish minds fail to notice.

Alas, we have been willfully ignorant: “You have neither heard nor understood!” There are things within our hearts that we ought to have recognized. Corruptions have taken root unnoticed, and sweet affections have withered like flowers in the frost, neglected by us. We could catch glimpses of God’s face, if only we had not blocked the windows of our soul. But we “have not understood.”

As we reflect on this, we should be humbled to the core. And how we must praise God’s grace when we remember that all of this ignorance and folly on our part was known to Him from the beginning! Despite knowing all of this, He still chose to deal with us mercifully. What an amazing display of sovereign grace that God chose us in full view of our sin and failure! How astonishing that the price for our salvation was paid in full, even though Christ knew exactly what we would be like! He foresaw our unbelief, backsliding, cold-heartedness, indifference, carelessness, and laziness in prayer. Yet still, He said, “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have loved you!”

O redemption, how bright you shine when we see how dark we are! Holy Spirit, from this day forward, give us ears to hear and hearts that understand!