“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 (NIV)
We need not fear to come to the Lord Jesus. He beckons all with His call “Come to me”. All we’ve got to do is come. He turns no one away. He takes away our filthy garments and robes us in a robe of righteousness. When God looks down at a believer in Jesus, He sees the perfect life of Christ. Amazing. This is why the Apostle Paul gives such a strong petition in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NIV): “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
There continues to be a great need in our times (as in all times) to boldly and courageously proclaim God’s Truth. Souls are at stake – souls have always been at stake – which calls for boldness rather than blending. The same strong love, conviction, voice and hand used to preach and teach the Gospel for which martyrs bled and confessors died is still needed today. And there is no doubt that Jesus by His sweet Spirit and mighty power remains with us here in the midst of this raging battle we presently face. We go forth in His power and for His glory. As the conflict rages on, we can know that He is with us and that the outcome is sure. He is the Master of making beauty from our ashes and bestowing on us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. His desire is for us to be “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor,” as Isaiah 61:3B teaches. We can be confident that, as our great Intercessor, He is continually pleading for His people. We must keep our eyes fixed on Him. The writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Fight bravely in this holy war for righteousness and Truth, turning our eyes away from fear and anxiety and placing them on the Savior Who will never let the righteous fall.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)