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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Drop Everything February 27, 2010 |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday, February 27, 2020 by Don Wernly
Luke 5: 27-28. After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
A parallel passage to Luke is Matthew 9: 9-13 which also recounts the calling of Levi or as he is otherwise named Matthew. The Concordia Self Study Bible says Matthew means, “gift of the Lord.” Passages preceding today’s verse recount Jesus forgiving the sins of a paralytic who, because of the crowds, had to be lowered to Jesus through the roof. Rebuffed by the teachers of the law, Jesus then heals the paralytic claiming it is easier to heal the body than the soul. So the people see Jesus doing remarkable things. Levi must have known about Jesus for as Jesus calls him, Levi drops everything and follows him. Tax collectors, employed by the Romans, were viewed as traitors by collecting taxes for the heathen government. Yet another example of the people Jesus reaches out to in his ministry.
Levi, drops everything and follows Jesus. Drops everything. Think about it. Levi might have been despised by his countrymen, but, he had a good living and was well respected by his tax collecting friends. Good living indeed for after he is called, Levi throws a banquet for Jesus and a large crowd of tax collectors at his house. Following the banquet, Levi takes on a new life eventually writing his Gospel of Matthew. Can we drop everything like Levi did and follow Jesus?
I’m sure we all know some folks who have done just like Levi. They quit their jobs, become missionaries or take on other evangelistic endeavors, and give up everything for Christ. Though I am in awe of people who can do that, I must admit that I am not one of them. However, I will ask us today to do something almost as radical. Drop everything and follow Jesus.
By dropping everything I mean everything that gets in the way of Jesus first You know what that is, the ever greater desire to accumulate more and more wealth, power, fame, status, and stuff. Clawing your way to the top. Doing whatever it takes to get the corner office, making the big sale, garnering the accolades that you feel are requisite for your position. Being somebody in a town where being somebody is everything.
I am not saying to forsake your career. Jesus expects us to be good stewards. We are in the positions we have because of our God given skills and abilities to make the world better. Just don’t allow the job to dominate your life to the detriment of others. Enjoy your home and the fruits of your labor. Jesus wants you to enjoy life. Just don’t become a slave to your possessions. Be humble and not status conscious. If you are really doing things well, they will get noticed. You don’t have to call attention to them nor should you tie your well being to what others say about you. In his book, “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life” Wayne Dyer says it perfectly, “What other people think of you is none of your business.” And finally, making a decent wage is necessary and allows us to take care of ourselves and others. Just don’t make wealth your gage as to who you are.
Drop everything and follow Jesus. It is a radical concept for it takes the focus off of us and places it on something larger than life itself. It is easy to write these devotions but much harder to actually follow them. No I am not even close to, “dropping everything.” I suspect though that you are much like me, a work in progress. And that is alright for we are all human and will always fall short. But, we can always keep trying. So today, drop everything and follow Jesus for that very act will change your life.