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.
Luke 5:27-28
What an incredible scene this is! The disciples left jobs and businesses and family behind in order to follow Jesus. They didn’t know anything about Him, He hadn’t amassed a following, or written a mission statement—Jesus simply invited them to follow Him and they readily accepted.
I don’t know that I would’ve been that keen to drop everything and follow Jesus. I likely would’ve had some follow-up questions. I might have waited to see what His life, mission, and ministry looked like before fully committing to anything. But the disciples didn’t act that way. They responded to the call immediately.
Jesus invited these men into His ministry, His radical mission to bring the Kingdom of God to earth, and to die to themselves. Jesus asked these men to sacrifice everything for the Kingdom.
And I believe He’s inviting us to follow Him today. While He’s probably not telling us to leave behind jobs and homes and families, there probably are some things that He’s asking us to drop. For me, I feel Him calling me to leave my love of self. I can value comfort over obedience. I can cling to being entertained instead of meeting with Him. And I would much rather be a consumer than a servant.
I feel Him inviting me to choose to die to myself so I can truly live. Though I’m not quite sure where we’re going, I’m comforted because Jesus is leading the journey and not me.
Related Post: What is God’s Will?
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Is there anything Jesus is inviting you to drop in order to follow Him? Let’s courageously let go of the things He’s calling us to leave behind and choose again, today, to follow Him.
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Hi Sarah.
The disciples must have seen something incredibly radical in Christ in order to follow Him like they did. Like you, I’m not sure I would have as eager to do so. I like predictability. Security. Perhaps God will ask me to give those up as I seek Him.
Blessings,
Tammy
I think you’re totally right, Tammy! And I’m so grateful that God is patient with us as we cling to those things we are comfortable with and find security in. We’re all works in progress, growing closer to Him each day!