You may know Matthew by his original name…Levi, a turncoat tax collector who Jesus called in Capernaum. He was chosen by Jesus as one of the Twelve disciples…and given a new life along with a new name. But in this Scripture we find Jesus at Matthew’s house having a meal with all these “sinners” much to the disgust of the religious leaders who incredulously asked His disciples how Jesus could do this. Knowing their thoughts and their hearts, Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 when He replied to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In other words, our mission as Christians is to share the Gospel Message with sinners…people who may look and act very differently from us, but still need to hear that they can be healed and forgiven of their sins.
Tag: daily devotional
II Chronicles 29:15 ” When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the Temple of the Lord, as the King had ordered, following the Word of the Lord.”
“Following the Word of the Lord…” Though sometimes, that still small voice of the Holy Spirit is almost drowned out by the incessant noise of the world. Romans 8:14 tells us that, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” But following the Word of the Lord takes practice… it takes listening carefully, and obeying immediately when prompted, without hesitation…for when we stop to debate if it’s of God or not, we’ll usually not move on it…and His work stops there. By attuning our ears to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit, we are being led down the correct path of life and accomplishing God’s work for His glory.
Galatians 6:2 ” Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ.”
To carry out the Law of Christ here, we must first know what it is. James 2:8 tells us, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” When we bear other’s burdens in a way we would want to be treated, we are fulfilling the royal law of King Jesus. But what does this look like? It’s done with compassion and love in a nonjudgmental way…listening attentively and always speaking the truth of God’s word. It’s inspiring hope in places of sadness and always it’s done with integrity, and trustworthiness.
Revelation 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
Humans and religion have always gotten into trouble when they attempted to overlay the Word of God with ritual and tradition. So the message in the Scriptures above are quite simple…don’t even think of adding to or subtracting from what it says in the Bible. We are reminded of the authority and sufficiency of the word of God in II Timothy 3:16 that reads, “All of Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible contains everything we need for salvation, trust, hope, and love….its words more than adequate to meet every need and accomplish God’s divine purpose in our life.
Proverbs 27:9 ” Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.”
When a close friend takes the time to give you sincere advice…you listen. Why? Because first, they know you, what you’ve come through, and what is happening right now in your life. To you, they have credibility… for often they can perceive things you are blind to…or sadly, choose to be blind to. Finally, you trust them and their wise advice…for you know it comes from that deep place in their soul that loves and cares for you. I’ve just finished 30 classroom hours of Biblical Counseling and it has opened my eyes to how often we counsel people in our everyday walk. Just think how many times a day you minister to the hearts of family and friends with earnest counsel. So in a way, we are all Counselors…our arm around the person, pointing to the Cross.
I Corinthians 11:1 ” Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Whether you like it or not, you’re setting an example every day to those you come in contact with. It can be a good example, full of integrity and Christ-likeness…or it can be a bad example, full of worldliness and corruption. I Peter 2:21 tells us that we are an example to the world around us as we follow in Christ’s steps and this means in everyday living and speaking we are to imitate Him…emulating and patterning ourselves in His image.
Leviticus 13:45-46 ” The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”
In Mark 1:40 we find a man with leprosy approaching Jesus. Now according to the Law, this man should have stayed far back from Jesus yelling, “Unclean! Unclean!” and letting Him know that someone ceremonially unclean was in the vicinity. This man…outcast both socially and spiritually, was forced to live outside the city alone with no physical contact with his family, so it was by sheer desperation and hopelessness he boldly came to Jesus asking to be healed. For what did he have to lose? Despair had driven him to the only hope he had…to be healed and then be able to return back to his loved ones. It tells us that Jesus was filled with compassion for the man and reached out and touched him…and he was healed. Have you ever felt like a social and spiritual outcast…alone and lonely? Jesus is there waiting to touch you today.
Exodus 3:4 ” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ “
“Here am I.” It’s a well used statement made by many great people of the Bible when called by God. In Genesis 31:11 when God summoned Jacob, he answered, “Here am I.” and so did Abraham in Genesis 22:1. In I Samuel 3:4 the young Samuel answered God’s voice with, “Here am I.” And when Isaiah was being commissioned, he also replied to God’s call with, “Here am I.” There’s so much meaning within those three little words. It says, “It doesn’t matter what You have for me to do, great or menial, I’m happy to serve You Lord.” It also says, ” I desire to do Your Will Lord, not what I want.” Three little words of submission that force us to set aside ourselves, pick up our Cross, and follow Him.
John 13: 37 ” Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can’t I follow You now?’ “
This conversation happened during The Last Supper…Jesus had just told His disciples that where He was soon going they could not come. So in verse 36, Simon Peter asks Jesus, ” ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.’ ” It happens so often…we catch a glimpse of what God has for us to do and we are impatient…desiring to heed Him immediately. So like Peter, we anxiously query, “Why can’t I follow you now?” But all of our gung-ho enthusiasm can’t measure up to the basic training and discipline we may need prior to God’s nod of approval. Over these years I’ve found one of the hardest words to accept gracefully from God is, “wait.” But I also know in the end any delay is only for my good and benefit.
Isaiah 53:3 ” He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way Jesus Christ was. When illness, injury, or affliction strikes us…we suck it up, endure, and just live through it, waiting for it to end. But Jesus faced sorrow head-on…knowing intimately what it was to suffer. He very plainly explained to His disciples in Luke 18:31-33 how He would be mocked, insulted, spit on, flogged, and killed…personally taking on and experiencing all the pent-up evil of this world. We taste suffering and sorrow…but Jesus is intimate with them.
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