Run To Jesus

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.

— Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:35, 37-39 (ESV)

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Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for Love is passing by

Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden’s lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so

Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don’t be afraid to crawl
And remember when we walk
Sometimes we fall, so

Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
Steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then

Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can’t contain your joy inside, then

Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory’s side, and

Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

— Untitled Hymn lyrics (Chris Rice)

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O, beloved.

Our hearts get so mixed up sometimes, yes? (gentle) Almost imperceptibly, unknowingly, our perspective is twisted, only the tiniest bit, and we shift our hearts and minds from worshipping the Creator to worshipping the creature.

In some ways, it’s so much easier to worship that which we can see and know and love here, yes, beloved? We see beauty and know tenderness and such great Love in one another - and that truly is His gift to us, His double witness, I do believe. But beloved? The beauty, the tenderness, the Love here…it’s only given by Him in the first place to point our eyes upward, so that we might behold such beauty and tenderness and Love in Christ Himself - in His sinless life here, in His suffering, in His death on the cross, in His resurrection and His ascension, and His reigning now in victory with the Father! That’s why He allows us to know such things in one another here and now, beloved, don’t you think? (tender)

We long for one another, yes - and I hope and pray and beg that He will choose to give us every good gift that our hearts desire in His time, and I will do so until my dying breath - but what our hearts are really longing for, beloved, even more than one another, is Jesus. And what only He can give, in Himself.

Just like you are pleased with my good gifts, the truth is that, apart from me, they would mean nothing to you, yes? The pebble, the match, the rubber band, the coin…And so it is with Christ, beloved. Apart from Him, even the very best gift He could give us would seem empty and meaningless. (tender)

So what then to do? How then to live? (gentle)

Run to Jesus, beloved!

As the rain pours down, washing all the dirt and ‘old’ away, run to Him! Weak and wounded as you are, as stained and heavy-burdened, come to Him. As lonely and misunderstood as you feel traveling through the valley of the shadow of death, cry to Him, beloved. He delights to be all that you need! Your neediness is His gift, not to cause you frustration or pain, but to draw you tenderly to Himself.

This is what He is trying to do just now, beloved, do you see? (gentle) Do you see how He’s wooing you back to Himself once again? Showing you that He is the only One who can truly satisfy you, fully?

O, beloved! How He loves you! How He desires you! How patiently He is waiting for you to come to Him! And when you’ve come to Him, cried to Him, fallen on Him, grieved before Him, confessed and repented and surrendered it all to Him yet again - then perhaps, beloved, you will be ready to sing before Him and dance before Him, giving Him all thanks and praise, all honor and glory, beloved? (hopeful) For He is good! He’s invited us into His Song, into His Feast, into His Love, beloved - He has! Let us not reject His kind invitation, please? Let Him not find us so enthralled with one another that we are too busy, too neglectful of His invitation to join Him in all glory and the celebration of eternal victory, please?

We will run to Him, Together! For He is our Beloved, the One who can save and strengthen and satisfy. We trust in Him. We rest in Him. We are bound up Together in His Love, now and always, beloved! All praise be to Jesus! Nothing can separate us from His Love!