03.26
This past Sunday (the 22nd of March) we looked at the when of discipleship and the goal. The when…as you have hopefully ascertained from the above title…is immediately. We saw this in the story of the 4 fishermen…Pete, Andy, Jim and John…Matthew 4:18-22. In the case of the calling of both sets of brothers we see that they left everything immediately to follow Jesus. In the case of the 2nd set of brothers, the cooly named “Sons of Thunder”, we see that they left their boat (the family business) and their dad (the starter of the family business…which now may have been out of business) to follow Jesus and make His business theirs…therefore their goal His…to seek and save those He misses the most (the lost)…Luke 19:10.
In Matt’s story (Levi who we know as Matthew) we see that he just plain got it…Luke 5:27-32. Looking back, Luke speaks of the enduring story of Matthew’s life in verse 28, “And leaving everything(I think everything means everything), he rose and followed him.” Luke is looking back…he has heard the report about Matthew and now gives the account that Matthew left everything. And Matt got the fact that since Jesus came to seek and save, that was now his calling and goal. In the story we see that he immediately brought Jesus into his world and to his friends. If he needed Jesus…and Jesus finding him and calling him was so profound and life-changing that he would leave everything…surely his friends needed the same! Thanx for getting it Matthew. I want to be more like Matthew.
Have you had any ‘immediately’s’ this week? Have you been looking…watching…listening? I have to confess that sometimes I get so involved(and thereby tuned out to those around me) in my own agenda, I can forget why Jesus left the beauty and splendor and crazy, amazing fellowship with the Father and Spirit in heaven to come to this rock called earth…ouch…makes me want to sing a few lines from a Kris Kristofferson song(if you can figure it out, send me a comment). A friend shared how she responded immediately this week and invited her non-believing-in-God friend(I so love an honest person) to church for Easter. Way to go.
Where is my immediately today? Where is yours? There’s really no need to think it through when God speaks to your heart and leads you to speak to someone about the love of Jesus. If we do it in love…understanding humbly that once we were there…how can we go wrong? Speak and let God work. Speaking’s our job…the rest is His. People will accept an invite to an Easter service(such a lame word)…Easter is it!!!
Enough already. Let’s go for it together. Write to me about your immediately’s and lets spur one another on to love and good works!!!
John 8:31,32 I have been working on memorizing this verse and meditating on the word abide. this is/was going to be a very busy week at work with not 20 hours, but 32 hours spent doing stuff I have never done before,with alot of expectations. I did not want Monday to come to begin the week. Well I kept thinking about abide and decide God could handle all of this new stuff and would work it out. and so far, of curse He has. and I have been able to tell people along the way. Even had a blown water pump thrown in and i didn’t panic. I even got to rewatch on of the Truth Projects. And Douglas is watching the Truth Projects on his own and is sharing with people about what he is learning. WOW!!! I am ready to go through the rest of the week and come out still abiding, Immediately!
Thanx for the read and the comment Carol!