Reflections on the Gospel, #6: Fulfillment Offered to You

Unidentified painter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.
James 1:5 RSVCE

In Jesus Christ, God promises blessing and salvation to all who receive him. And a warning: do not let this promise be in vain! The Lord says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 RSVCE).

Those who are humble and childlike do not take themselves to be the measure of reality but sincerely seek the truth. We were put on earth to seek and to find truth, and in finding truth to find God, and in finding God, to find the Way that leads to true life — now and into eternity.

Consider now that Jesus Christ may be offering this life to you at this very moment. In the Gospel, he says,

Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29 DRA

And he calls out, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him’” (John 7:37-38 NABRE).

How does His offer strike you? Are you ready to say “yes”? Or are you skeptical?

Whatever you think about the truth of all this, whether you believe or do not believe, know that God seeks you and will continue to do so until the last moment of your life. God loves you more than any human being can, more than you love yourself; and he seeks you much more than you could possibly seek him. He cannot be outdone in love, and his love always comes first. His apostle John wrote, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 NABRE).

If you seek God, it is because he has already sought you first. And if you find God, it is because He found you first. And if you are neither seeking God, nor finding God — rest assured, God is still seeking you out. God’s love for us never gets tired. Speaking of this, the Lord told these parables,

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? …
Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?
Luke 15:4,8 RSVCE

The Apostle of the Lord, Paul, wrote, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NABRE). If God is willing to die for you, regardless of your sins, he is more than willing to seek you out until he finds you. As long as you remain alive, there is hope of receiving him.

Come to God, believe, and abide in his love. His Apostle John spoke of this: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” (1 John 4:16 NABRE). Love makes all things easy, and so he also said “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3 NABRE).

If you are curious, but skeptical, you may ask him to reveal himself to you. Knock on the doors of heaven! When it all comes down to it, this is all about desire. The Lord speaks to all of us,

Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 DRA

Similarly, he says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him” (James 1:5 RSVCE).

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you with abundant gifts of grace and faith! May you come to know the peace of a good conscience, the joy of God’s love, and the freedom of being his child!

See the rest of the series,