10- 19- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 2: 13- 15)
“F” IS FOR FOLLOW THE LORD IN “CHRISTIAN’s ABC’s”
13- “And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14- And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15- And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.”
If you picture the scenario when Jesus called Levi or Matthew, it was with a Simple command from Jesus- “follow me”, with a very Short message- (just 2 words) and for a Specific person- (to Levi). To follow the Lord would means sacrifices and could also be the willingness to suffer for His sakes. Matthew was busy working in a government office with a good paying position or job- “…Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom…” Matthew had great possessions, “…Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples:” Matthew has a house and a good paying job, well, not counting the kickbacks as a tax collector. Notice the phrase- “…Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom…” When I was a teenager, I used to work in a night club in Manila on the 70 and 80’s. We had a group of regular customers who comes to our club that works at the custom in the airport. The word “Custom” back in those days is a bad word for me. It made me sick to my stomach and made me nauseous and threw up really hard every time I heard that word. These people (not all of them) who worked for the government could make 1,000 pesos not counting the jewelries and electronics that they got from their modus operandi. And to them, it was slow during those times, because according to the 1 of the customs that I talked with, they can make more than that. But Levi’s job was even way better, it’s where the money is; but when Jesus called him he did not question Jesus, he just followed Him. The Bible said, “…And he arose and followed him.” In the Book of Matthew, we have here the 3 different individuals as based in their perceptions; they really wanted to follow Jesus. But the question would be, were they really willing to sacrifice and suffer for His sakes? We were told to follow Him in whatever situation we are in and whatever hardship we’re going through and what the future may look like to you. Following Jesus in His way, in His work and by His word will not be according to our own timing, title or would not be based on how much treasures we have. God wanted for us to follow His footsteps and His will no matter what’s going on in your life right now.
(Matthew 8: 19- 23) 19- “And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20- And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21- And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22- But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. 23- And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.”
