TODAY’S MEDITATION – Have you really responded to the Lord’s calling to follow Him? (Matthew 9:9)

Today’s verse says “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” Today, many people call themselves believers and especially Christians without knowing what it really means to be a Christian. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus Christ, not only someone who believes in Him. Here we see by the example of Matthew, that responding to Christ calling requires and immediate response from us. Matthew was a tax collector, and deciding to follow Jesus guaranteed him unemployment! Many of the other disciples who decided to follow Jesus returned to their fishing activities, but for Matthew, there was no turning back. Now, Matthew’s experience should teach us that, from the beginning, we are all God’s work in progress. Yes, much of what the Lord has for us has already given to us long before we are even able to consciously respond to Him. He trusts us with skills and abilities ahead of the schedule and he has made each of us capable of being His servant. You see, Matthew did not know that God was going to us his skills of a tax collector to record the greatest story ever lived? The same with you, my brother, my sister: the Lord has given you skills that He wants to use for His glory, but have you really answered Jesus’ calling to follow Him, or have you contented yourself with believing in Him alone? For the Lord to act powerfully in your life, you need to move from the mere status of a believer and become His follower too. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name. [facebook] [retweet]