Thank You, Father, for Your hand upon my shoulder through this day. I am humbled that You use me to proclaim Your word to Your people. Use me throughout every day to proclaim Your word with my life. Amen.

Luke 5:27-29 (<<click to read the passage)

If you had a fairly lucrative job making pretty much as much money as you wanted to make and you worked for an organization that as long as they got their cut didn’t care how much you made, wouldn’t that be difficult to give up? More than likely you had worked hard and greased the right hands over several years to get yourself to that level, wouldn’t you have to think long and hard about just up and quitting? From more money than you could shake a stick at to possibly not even knowing where your next meal was coming from…willingly?

I don’t think too many would be eager to jump on that wagon…but that is just what Levi (also known as Matthew) did! One day he was doing his thing, filling Rome’s coffers and his own pockets, when Jesus walked up and said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk].” (AMP)

And Luke’s Gospel doesn’t even show Levi having a moment’s hesitation, he simply “got up, left everything, and followed him.” In fact, Matthew’s own Gospel (9:9-13) and Mark’s (2:13-17), as well, both communicate the same reaction to Jesus’ call upon Levi’s (Matthew’s) life. No hesitation whatsoever.

You would think that it would have been a tough decision…right? But from what I’ve read and heard, there comes a point in one’s life where you’ve pretty much sought out every possible angle to find some modicum of happiness in your life and you finally come to the conclusion that it truly is unattainable. You might keep on plugging along hoping but deep down you realize that it is hopeless. What you thought would be so wonderful, has let you down in a mighty way.

It reminds me of a great king (Solomon, son of David) who had absolutely everything he could ever have wanted. And here are the words he wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:2-8 (NLT),

“Everything is meaningless…completely meaningless!”
What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

The Amplified Bible words verse 2 by saying,

“All [that is done without God’s guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind].”

Solomon’s life did end up being meaningless in that, even though he knew better, he never turned to the One who alone could bring life meaning.

Levi, on the other hand, left behind the meaningless pursuit of wealth and power and joyfully followed the Giver of all life! He knew a good thing when he saw it and never turned back!

Let us follow Levi as he followed Jesus.

Jan 26th, 2020, Sun, 7:16 pm