Luke 5:27-28 NLT
Levi (also called Matthew - see Matthew 9) was a tax collector; despised by those from whom he collected money. Jesus knew this, yet called him anyway... To me, the wild thing is Matthew just got up, left everything (the Word says) and followed Him.
Think about that for a moment. We hate to see the tax man coming. And I think tax collectors may be as unpopular today as they were in Jesus' time.
What was Matthew's next recorded act? He threw a party (held a banquet) and invited Jesus to meet all his former co-workers and friends. This from a man who had become instantly unemployed the moment he made the choice to follow Jesus.
You know Peter and Andrew, James and John were all fishermen. If they bombed as disciples, they could always go back to the fishing industry. When Matthew made the choice, there was no going back. AND he was immediately unemployed. We tend to panic when we even think our job may be on the chopping block.
What I find most fascinating about this story are the gifts God had given Matthew when He created him in his mother's womb. Record-keeping, organization, the mighty pen. And Matthew had used them in a way that was not pleasing to God. However, when God called Levi, all that changed.
The mighty pen wrote the gospel of Matthew. His organizational skill was able by God's grace to keep it all straight. What a testimony!! Want to take a guess at how many people have been ministered to by Matthew's Gospel?
Even when we start out bad, when we make the decision to follow Christ, our gifts are washed white as snow, too. Levi left everything and followed Him. Would you if He asked? He's asking.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank You for Your Word that gives us the comfort of knowing You have a plan for us, that You have gifted us to fulfill Your purpose and plan for each of us. Give us Your perspective on our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Levi (also called Matthew - see Matthew 9) was a tax collector; despised by those from whom he collected money. Jesus knew this, yet called him anyway... To me, the wild thing is Matthew just got up, left everything (the Word says) and followed Him.
Think about that for a moment. We hate to see the tax man coming. And I think tax collectors may be as unpopular today as they were in Jesus' time.
What was Matthew's next recorded act? He threw a party (held a banquet) and invited Jesus to meet all his former co-workers and friends. This from a man who had become instantly unemployed the moment he made the choice to follow Jesus.
You know Peter and Andrew, James and John were all fishermen. If they bombed as disciples, they could always go back to the fishing industry. When Matthew made the choice, there was no going back. AND he was immediately unemployed. We tend to panic when we even think our job may be on the chopping block.
What I find most fascinating about this story are the gifts God had given Matthew when He created him in his mother's womb. Record-keeping, organization, the mighty pen. And Matthew had used them in a way that was not pleasing to God. However, when God called Levi, all that changed.
The mighty pen wrote the gospel of Matthew. His organizational skill was able by God's grace to keep it all straight. What a testimony!! Want to take a guess at how many people have been ministered to by Matthew's Gospel?
Even when we start out bad, when we make the decision to follow Christ, our gifts are washed white as snow, too. Levi left everything and followed Him. Would you if He asked? He's asking.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank You for Your Word that gives us the comfort of knowing You have a plan for us, that You have gifted us to fulfill Your purpose and plan for each of us. Give us Your perspective on our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
