Frances Ridley Havergal :: The Consummation of the Invitation

THIRTY-FIRST DAY - THE CONSUMMATION OF THE INVITATION.

"Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand,
'Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world.'" (Mat 25:34)

'Then!' when the sure but as yet unseen hope of the Church is fulfilled, and Jesus comes in His glory: (Tts 2:13) 'then!' when all are gathered before Him, (Mat 24:30-31) and He shall separate them one from another, then, shall the King say unto them on His right hand, 'Come!'

The King-'this same Jesus,' who now says, 'Come unto Me,' 'whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another' (Job 19:27) (margin, not a stranger)-He shall utter with His own gracious lips the same sweet call; (Luk 4:22) and we shall hear it, no longer by faith, but literally.

The call will be no longer, 'Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden;' (Mat 11:28) for the weariness and the burdens that have been cast upon Jesus will be at an end for ever. (Psa 38:4) It will be, 'Come, ye blessed!' Not 'blessed' then for the first time, but 'ye' whose position already is that of 'the blessed of the Lord.' Every one who comes to Jesus takes that glorious position, and possesses all its manifold privileges. (Eph 1:3) If you are only come today for the first time, 'thou art now the blessed of the Lord,' (Gen 26:29) and you shall be among the blessed ones who stand in their lot at the end of the days. You are now made kings and priests unto God by Him who loved you and washed you from your sins in His own blood; (Rev 1:5-6) and then the King will call you to 'inherit the kingdom.' For 'by faith in Christ Jesus' (which is the same thing, in other words, as coming to Christ), you are 'the children (Gal 3:26) of God.' 'And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.' (Rom 8:17) He will make you inherit the throne of His glory, and grant you to sit with Him in His throne, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luk 12:32) Confess now, that this is doing for you exceeding abundantly above all you asked or thought! To be permitted just to escape the terrible doom of 'everlasting punishment,' just to get inside the door of the palace, (Psa 45:15-17)-a sort of standing afar off, even in heaven- is about as much as you really thought of! But look at the grandeur of His thought, and the riches of His love for you! He has prepared not only 'a place,' and 'a city,' (Hbr 11:16-18) but a kingdom for you, and that not since you began to pray for salvation, but from the foundation of the world. And all this time this splendid and amaranthine inheritance (Mat 25:34-19) has been reserved in heaven for you, and you are being kept by the power of God for it! (1Pe 1:5) Have you thanked Him for this? It is not too soon to do so.

This is indeed the consummation of the Royal Invitation, the King on the throne of His glory inviting you to come and reign with Him!

And 'this same Jesus' says to you today, 'Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.' (Jhn 6:37)

Still shall the keyword ringing, echo the same sweet 'Come!'
'Come' with the blessed myriads, safe in the Father's home;
'Come!' for the toil is over; 'come!' for the feast is spread;
'Come!' for the crown of glory waits for the weary head.