Published 4/9/19
Read Mark 2:13-14
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
Reflect
· When the Lord gives you an assignment, do you accept it with a trusting heart ... or do you shrink back and tell Him that you are unqualified for the job?
· How does it make you feel, knowing that Christ's inner circle were rough around the edges?
· How did you come to Christ? (Please share your testimony.)
Matthew's past experiences and abilities--his friendships, his personality, his confidence in working with money, his ability to mingle with the public--were now committed to building God's Kingdom. In fact, as Matthew grew in his faith, he wrote the first book of the New Testament. It's the one that bears his name. It also bears witness to all Matthew had seen and heard growing up in a Jewish culture. Of the four accounts of Jesus' life and ministry, Matthew's gospel explains the good news of God's love in a way that Jewish people could understand.
Isn't that fascinating? Not only does God call people to be part of His plan to change the world, He makes use of what they have to offer. You could probably even make a case for believing that the bents and abilities we are born with were given to us in anticipation of the day we would accept Jesus and start serving Him.
Take a moment to ponder how you became a disciple of Jesus. Your testimony may not be as dramatic as some you've heard. But it's your story. Go ahead, pull out your journal and write it down. Describe what was going on in your life before you decided to take Jesus seriously. Then make note of who influenced you spiritually and why you were open to what they shared. Finally, take note of how Jesus has impacted your life since. You never know who might want to hear how God's been active in your life.
Pray
Lord, help me understand what it means to belong to you. Amen. Thank Jesus that he called you to be part of his team to reach the world. Ask Him for courage to keep from caving in to what others think is important.
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