Luke 5:27-28 - After this he [Jesus] 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.
There was a
pattern with those who followed Jesus of leaving something of significance
behind. For Peter, John, and their brothers it was their nets (and the
miraculous catch of fish inside). For Levi, it was his lucrative tax collecting
business. The rich young ruler was unwilling to leave his wealth behind and
chose not to follow Jesus although he wanted to. Throughout history, truly
following Jesus has meant leaving something else.
It is hard
to let go of something of value. For some, it is wealth. For others, it may be
a significant relationship, a prestigious position, or a familiar landscape.
The willingness to leave these things behind in order to follow Jesus is one of
the biggest barriers to real fruit in our relationships with Jesus, especially
in America. We have so much. We would like it if Jesus said, “Follow me and
bring all your stuff with you.” But as the old cliché says, “If Jesus is not
Lord of all he is not Lord at all.” Give him your life. Give him your everything.
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