Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
Matthew the tax collector probably knew Jesus beforehand. He later gave a big reception for Jesus in his house, which was likely a farewell to his old associates. There is little mention of him afterwards except for the fact that he wrote the book of Matthew. Tradition says he testified of Jesus around Judea for fifteen years and then went to foreign nations.
Principle:When Jesus calls you, get up and go.
When Earnest Shackleton sailed for the Antarctic in 1914, he put an ad in the paper which read as follows: “Wanted: Men to go on an Antarctic expedition. Small wages. Bitter cold. Safe return doubtful.” More than 5,000 men responded, all of them willing to lay their lives on the line. The journey across the never-before-crossed mountains in the Antarctica is one of the great adventure stories of all times. Those men who followed Shackleton believed in his ability to bring them back safely, which he did.
God’s adventure book is full of brave men and women who said “yes” to the call to follow Jesus.
I think of Bill Bright, a businessman who took the challenge. He was working on the campus of UCLA in the 50s. Henrietta Mears challenged him to give his life completely and totally to Jesus Christ. Bright made a contract with God. He literally wrote it out and signed his name at the bottom. It said, “From this day forward, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.” There was no turning back.
Bright’s willingness to share the Gospel led to the formation of Campus Crusade for Christ and through the army of men and women more than four billion people have been exposed to the Good News. Over 150 million people have registered decisions to follow Jesus Christ.
Are you afraid that if you got up to walk with Him, Jesus might ask you to do something you do not want to do? Get up and go. Life will be an adventure. He will lead you safely home.
Discussion:
1. What challenging thing did you do in the past which turned out to be an adventure?
2. What do you think Matthew might have lost by answering the call to follow Jesus?
3. What holds you back from going “all the way” with Jesus?
