April 25, 2024

April 25th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Mark 2:13-17 (The Calling of Levi)
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. – Mark 2:14 (NLT)
“Follow Me and Be!”

As I was camping on this story today, this was the phrase that jumped out at me. “Follow me and be.” That was the invitation that Jesus gave to Levi. Jesus didn’t say, “Repeat this prayer.” He didn’t say, “Perform this ritual.” He didn’t tell him to offer a sacrifice, go to the altar, or talk to a priest. He said, “Follow me and be.” All that Levi wanted, all that he dreamed of becoming, and all that he could ever hope to accomplish was found in responding to that simple little phrase. “Follow me and be.”
“Follow me and be FREE!” That was a part of what Jesus was saying to him. Levi would never become free of the life he had been living until He “followed and became.” It’s a principle that all of us need to learn. We can never fully take hold of all that God wants to give us while we’re still trying to hold on to what the world is offering. How many of us have lived the frustrating life of wanting to cling to old ways, old places, and old friends, all the while calling ourselves a “Christ-follower?” “Following” includes a leaving. Let go. Follow and be free!
“Follow me and be TRANSFORMED.” Aren’t you tired of living a defeated life? Don’t you get weary of not just making mistakes, but making the SAME mistakes again and again? The invitation to follow is an invitation to be transformed! When we follow Jesus, we learn from Him. We study His ways. We mimic His life. We seek to see with His eyes, hear with His ears, speak with His words, and love with His heart. We don’t change by simply wanting to change. We change when we’re given a different pattern, a different purpose, and a different power for living. Jesus invites us to follow, to learn, to grow, and to become. Follow and be transformed!
Let that call of Jesus echo in your ears today. “Follow me and be.” What would you “be” if you followed Jesus in all avenues of your life? Maybe you’d finally BE that husband or wife you’ve wanted to become. Maybe you’d finally BE that mom or dad you know your kids need. Maybe you’d finally walk in freedom, walk in victory, and walk in the amazing awareness that you are a Child of the King. Don’t sit there one moment longer. Jesus is calling to YOU! “Follow me and be!” That’s God’s Word for you today.