Luke 5:27-28 – After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
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The Greek word for disciple is a word that simply means one who follows another. Here we see the beginning of Levi’s (Matthew’s) discipleship. The account here is simple and straight forward. Jesus sees Levi and approaches him. Let’s always remember that, if we are the disciples of Christ, we are only the disciples of Christ because Christ first came to us. And, when Jesus called, Levi left everything to get up and follow Jesus.
With the dawn of 2007, I think it is fair to say that we too have the call upon our lives that Levi heard from Jesus. Our Lord calls to us to follow him. Our Lord calls for us to come to him, to know him, to serve him, to glorify his name, and to become his disciples. No matter what your past, you are still called by Jesus to become one of his followers.
And, if we are to be Jesus’ disciples in 2007, our response to him has to be the very same as Levi’s. We have to get up, leave everything, and follow Jesus. You can never stay where you are and who you are and at the same time follow God. God calls you to change. He calls you to be different. He calls you to follow him to somewhere where you are not (either physically or spiritually). You also have to leave behind the old to follow Jesus. The follower of God can never cling to the things of this life and still be following God. We have to learn to stand up and leave behind the trinkets, distractions, and petty pleasures of this life if we are to truly follow Jesus. This is not to say that we let go of all pleasure to follow Christ, but it is to say that we trade the weak, short-lived, inane pleasures of the world for lasting, eternal, glorious, soul-satisfying pleasures which are found in the glory of God.
As you begin 2007, will you heed the call of Jesus? Will you hear his call to follow him? Will you stand up from where you are, put away the trinkets of this world and the comforts of the status quo, and follow the Lord? Let today be a day when you begin to follow Jesus.
Dear Lord, I thank you for the gracious call that you place on the lives of all men. You call us all to come to you, to receive your grace, and to follow you. Today, I again commit myself to follow you. I desire to stand up and leave behind the trinkets and distractions of this life. I want to trade those for the glories of knowing you, serving you, and being your disciple. Please take me wherever you want me. Please lead me wherever you want me. Please help me to simply know you, love you, and serve you for this year and all years to come.
Pastor Travis Peterson 