Jesus Meets Us Right Where We Are in Our Mess
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up, left everything, and followed him. Luke 5:27-28 NRSV
Series: Doing What Jesus Did
Devotional: 2 of 4
Levi, son of Alphaeus: "Follow Me."
In that moment, it was as if Jesus saw Levi's whole life - past, present, and future. He saw a man created in the image of God, with a plan and a purpose for his life. He saw a tax collector despised by his own people for decisions he had willingly made. He saw the man who would later write a detailed account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. And He saw a future apprentice who would willingly lay down his own life for the advancement of The Gospel message. (See Luke 5:27-28 NRSV)
"Follow Me." With these two simple words, Jesus extended an invitation and an offer to Levi (also known as Matthew). With these words, Jesus meets Matthew right where he is - in the mess that was his current life. With these words, Jesus did not ask Matthew to first clean himself up before saying yes to following Him. And with these words, we see Jesus, our Good Shepherd, actively pursuing one of His lost sheep.
In much the same way Jesus approached Matthew, He willingly pursues each of us in our mess. Full of mercy and love, He reaches into our lives, calling us up and out of our old way of living. The kind of life described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
In the depths of our mess and sin, Jesus offers each of us the free gift of salvation made possible through His life, death, and resurrection. If we choose to accept His offer, we enter into a new relationship characterized by faith, hope, and love. Following Him becomes a lifelong journey of surrender, daily exchanging our will for His. (See Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV).
As Jesus apprentices, how are we to approach the "Matthews" in our lives? The same way Jesus would. Show mercy. Meet people in their mess. And never forget the void in our own lives that Jesus saved us from. Truly, the Gospel is for everyone. No one is too far gone. No sin is outside of God's grace and mercy.
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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