Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. Ezekiel 33:11. "As I live," says the Lord God, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11. "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." Jeremiah 31:3. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." Isaiah 43:1. "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands..." Isaiah 49:16.. "I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18.
The Father draws us to Jesus
“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me.” None will ever come to Christ, save those who respond to the drawing of the Father's love. But God is drawing all hearts unto Him, and only those who resist His drawing will refuse to come to Christ. [Desire of Ages, p. 387]
Come and drink
“If any man thirst,” He said, “let him come unto me and drink.” [John 7:37.] Man is not to be driven. He has a part to act. He must come of his own choice. The precious promises and abundant blessings given us in Christ must be laid hold of by faith before they can be appropriated. Lt100-1895
The fountain is open for all. The weary and exhausted ones are offered the refreshing draught of eternal life. Jesus is still crying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Rev. 22:17; John 4:14. [Desire of Ages, p. 454]
Restless, craving, exhausted heart, think of the Saviour’s words, “Whosoever drinketh of this water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” Drink from the wells of worldly pleasure, and you will thirst again. Drink of the water of life, and you will be satisfied and refreshed. It will be in you “a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.” [John 4:14.] Love and light and truth and life are found in the everlasting gospel. Come, ye who labor and are heavy laden, come to the living water. “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” [Revelation 22:17.] Ms12-1901
Come that you may have life
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life.” [John 5:39, 40.] The rabbis were blind leaders of the blind. They did not see that the Scriptures testified of Christ, and that they must come to Him and believe in Him, or else they would perish. Their understanding was blinded, and they studied not the Scriptures in the light and power of God’s Spirit, and so they failed to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Lt30-1895 (January 29, 1895)
Fill the whole heart with the words of God. They are the living water, quenching your burning thirst. They are the living bread from heaven. Jesus declares, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." And He explains Himself by saying, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:53, 63. Our bodies are built up from what we eat and drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy: it is what we meditate upon that will give tone and strength to our spiritual nature. [Steps to Christ, p. 88]
Come, believing He accepts you
"Him that cometh to Me," says Christ, "I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. But we must come to Him; and when we repent of our sins, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours. Faith is the hand by which the soul takes hold upon the divine offers of grace and mercy. [Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 431]
Come find repentance and forgiveness
The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation of Christ, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he said, “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ. Steps to Christ, p. 26
Come and see your need for forgiveness and be transformed
The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you. No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character; but if we do not see our own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that we have not had a view of the beauty and excellence of Christ. The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view of our sinfulness drives us to Him who can pardon; and when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image. [Steps to Christ, p. 64-65]
Leave your sins at the cross
Christ invites all to come to Him, but when they come, they are to lay aside their sins. All their vices and follies, all their pride and worldliness, are to be laid at [the foot of] His cross. This He requires because He loves them, and desires to save them; not in their sins but from their sins. He who accepts the truth longs for transformation, and the light comes to him in bright rays. The truth is to be believed and practiced, because Christ asserts it to be the word of the living God. The brightest beams of light from the threshold of heaven are thrown on the pathway in which God requires His people to walk. When sinners accept Christ as their personal Saviour, they realize the greatness of God’s gift to them, and praise and thanksgiving flow to the divine Giver. The recovery of souls from sin is to be a revenue of goodness to men and of glory to God. [Ms 44, June 4, 1901]
Jesus invites us: “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” “Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” True happiness is to be found, not in self-indulgence and self-pleasing, but in learning of Christ, taking his yoke, and bearing his burden. Those who trust to their own wisdom and follow their own ways, go complaining at every step, because the burden which selfishness imposes upon them is so heavy and its yoke so galling. Selfishness cannot exist in a heart where Christ dwells; if cherished, it will crowd out everything else. August 19, 1886
Come, invite others too
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” [Revelation 22:17.] This commission to bid others to come embraces the entire church, and applies to every one who has accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. Of those who receive Christ it is written, “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. ... And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” [John 1:12, 16.] Lt84-1894
