Open Heavens 29 August 2016: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Great Invitation

Topic: The Great Invitation [Monday 29, August 2016]
Memorise: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. – Isaiah 1:18
 Read: Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 3:6-5:13, Psalms 44:9-15
 MESSAGE:
 There are numerous invitations we receive during the course of our lifetime, but there is an invitation that changes the life of a person permanently and that invitation is only found in Jesus. Sometimes, people can invite you to great occasions where you dine and wine with very important people in the society but that does not put an end to the trouble you are going through as an individual. You dine with them, but upon returning to your private closet, you carry your problems again. However, when you respond to the invitation of Jesus, He solves all your problems. This is why you cannot afford to respond inappropriately to this invitation. With this invitation, you come as you are. Present yourself to Him the way you are and let Him turn your life around. This is why the invitation of Jesus is the greatest of all invitations; it is also unique because He has all the power and the resources to turn any situation around. No matter how blessed an individual is, there is a limit to how many people he can help. No matter how buoyant your organisation is, there is no CEO that can employ everyone in a country. Jesus is the only employer who can pay everyone that comes under His government. There is no restriction, it is open to all.
 This invitation is to those who live under the stress and turmoil of this world. He wants to deliver them from all their troubles. There are those who have problems with their spiritual life. Jesus is available to release grace and mercy in the state of their spiritual poverty. There are people living under the bondage of emotions and religion, Jesus wants to set them free and deliver them from all their battles both within and without. There are many people who are struggling on the inside. When you see them, they appear alright but they have troubles, fears, worries, anxieties and depression. Jesus is calling you to come to Him. He wants to remove the yoke that the devil and his agents have put on you. He wants to uproot every plant that He has not planted in your life. He wants to deliver you from the burdens of this world that causes frustration and depression. However, you must submit to Him before He can be of help to you.
 It does not matter how far you have gone into the world of sin, Jesus is calling you to come. There is no sinner without a future and there is no saint without a past but in Jesus everything becomes new;
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17
 One finds peace and rest of mind by understanding that his sins are forgiven by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary, because where there is no shedding of blood there is no remission for sins. You can cast all your worries and anxiety on Jesus; it is part of your redemption right because all those troubles have been exchanged for peace through His death. However, you must know that the glory of God is His holiness. His dwelling is in holiness. His way is holy and the invitation to us is not an invitation to lawlessness but an invitation to holiness.
Key Point: There is no sin that is beyond the redemption at cross.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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