Faith to Follow

Luke 5:27-28 “and after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, setting at the receipt of customs: and he said unto him, “Follow me.” And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
It won’t take long if you study the bible to discover that God has many attributes. The most amazing is that he is unpredictable. He chooses those no one else would ever believe could be of use. Who could have ever thought the man who was to write the first book of the New Testament would be a tax collector. Why does that seem so strange? In Jesus’ day tax collectors or publicans as they were called were classed with the lowest of the low in society. These men were placed in the same class as harlots and heathen. The church going crowd had not use for publicans and sinners. Looked down their noises at them. Yet Jesus saw something in Matthew (Levi) that he felt would be of great service to God. Was Levi doing something that should have merited this great honor? No he was setting at the receipt of customs, doing his job. Had he been to some great crusade and heard fantastic preaching? Again no he was setting colleting taxes. If gauged by social standards this man was not fit for anything. He was probably not a church going man. What happened that would make a man drop everything and walk into a new way of life? He met Jesus! Jesus looked to his heart not at his social standing and saw a man He could use. When Jesus called look what Levi did, he left all and followed him. We see with that simple act of faith Matthew (Levi) rose up and followed Jesus. Let us look at exactly what Matthew did. First he gave up a lucrative position to follow a lowly carpenter, a radical in the view of some. He not only left behind his livelihood but he also left his former lifestyle to follow Jesus. He dropped everything that was attached to his sinful life and followed Jesus. Was he called crazy? You can bet he was called many things that day. One thing was sure God spoke to Levi and he heard and answered that call. As a result God used him in a mighty way.
Later we see Matthew honoring Jesus at a feast he paid for. We also see a man who had gone from one of Harod’s publican tax collectors to a publisher of the gospel of Jesus. What better picture of the transforming power of Christ than the picture of Matthew? When one is truly born again and trusts Jesus as saviour everything changes; life, thoughts, actions and most important heart. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
Two words changed this man’s life, “Follow me.” Has He changed your life? Would you follow Him if He called? Do you even know Him? You can you know. Seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you.