DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-11-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 5:27-28; 31-32;
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁷ Later on as Jesus left the town he saw a tax collector—with the usual reputation for cheating—sitting at a tax collection booth. The man’s name was Levi. Jesus said to him, “Come and be one of my disciples!” ²⁸ So Levi left everything, sprang up, and went with him.
³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is the sick who need a doctor, not those in good health. ³² My purpose is to invite sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think themselves already good enough.”

APPLICATION: If you hang around Christians long enough, you will find that many are like babies, they want the full, undivided attention of their pastor, and they want their own way in the decisions of church leadership. When they don’t get their own way, these ‘God-fearing, and wonderful’ people tend to search for the reasons why not. If this includes accusations against the pastor or church leadership, then so be it. Just in case you are wondering why I am coming down on my own Christian Brothers and Sisters, then I would suggest that you re-read our focal Bible verses for today. Jesus had the same problem. Jesus brought to the attention of His accusers that the whole reason He came, was to save the lost. Just as a medical doctor has no reason to setup shop in a gym, Jesus had no reason to try and continue saving the saved. I love the way this translation put verse 32 where Jesus spoke of the unnecessary job of preaching to those who consider themselves already good enough! Not only is much of our pastor’s sermon thrown right over our shoulders to the sinners in back of us, but especially the part where he shares the need for salvation. Unfortunately, those of us who tend to pass on the challenges presented by our pastors, are the hardest to accept the teaching and correction of our Lord. Many miss the word that God has for them when they meditate on the Word of God, because they continually try to apply the voice of God to someone else who is much worse than we are! Please, please dear friend, when you read the Bible, listen closely to what God is saying to you. Soften your heart so that God might speak truth into your life and get His message deep inside of you so that you might become more aligned with His ways and His teachings. When this happens, you will be more qualified to also speak truth into the life of that family member, friend, coworker, or the unsaved who is diligently looking for an image of Christ here on earth. Now, you might be confused and thinking that I feel like the pastor has no reason to preach to the church. Please know that each Christian needs daily communion with God. Bible Study, prayer and the opportunity to minister to the needs of others. Cooperate worship is something called for in the Bible, for it serves to help us recognize God through our prayers, worship and praise. We hear the Word preached so we could understand it better and apply it more fully to our own lives to be better prepared to share it with others. We must always go before God for ourselves first and foremost, for we are all sinners where our attitudes, actions and speech are all influenced by the people, ways and circumstances of the world in which we live. To share Christ with others, we must have Him living and operating in our own lives in such a way that the unsaved will see Jesus, and not the mere knowledge we have of Him. God is very qualified to speak into the hearts of Christians and unbelievers alike. Let’s let Him be God, while we strive to be His faithful servants in obedience to His commands, and in sharing His love with others so that they may have a growing desire for His lordship over their lives.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: When God calls, let’s be like Levi (Matthew), ready to drop everything, get up and follow Him. We tend to worry about the qualifications of an individual, but God seems more willing to work through those who are willing to answer His call. With the Holy Spirit residing inside of Christians, we are adequately able and qualified to answer the call of Christ in our lives.

PRAYER: Doubt arises when we listen to the wrong master. But Lord Jesus, we know that with You beside us, in front of us and inside of us, we can do all things commanded and demonstrated by You. Lord, You were questioned about the crowd that You chose to minister to, so we know that we can expect no less abuse. Please teach us and give us the boldness to always keep it foremost in our minds that our intentions, actions, thoughts and words are to always be geared towards the One we serve, and to introduce others to You. Oh that we could see You move today in the lives of those that we would least expect! For we all need You, Jesus! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!