Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 345 – Matthew 9:9-13 – Follow Me – Growing As Disciples
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. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV)
Come And Be
I think that I must have misheard. I must have gotten the message slightly or maybe much more than slightly wrong. How so? What are you talking about? You called me to follow you. Yes, I did. You called me to turn away from my sin so I could be forgiven and cleansed of all my unrighteousness. Yes, I did. You promised to give me a new life to live. You said that you would heal my bruised and battered and broken life. You said that you would lead and guide me through life. Yes, I have said all these things to you. Have you found them all to be true? Yes, without a doubt. Then what message did you get slightly or maybe much more than slightly wrong? Before I answer, let me say that I’m not sure that I will be expressing myself clearly. I’m sure that you will understand my thoughts even if my words do not come out too clearly. Go ahead, tell me what is on your heart, I’m listening. I thought your call on my life was primarily for me to go and do something. Hmmm, say more. Much of my life has been filled with the activity of doing things for you. Doing things for you is not wrong, that is not what I am saying. You have and will continue to ask me to go and do things for you. Yes, I will, you can count on that. It has been my joy to go and do things for you. That has been an important part of my life with you. There are ways that I have come to know and love you that could have only come through following and serving you. Yes, that is true, without a doubt.
So, now I will get to how I may have more than slightly misunderstood your call on my life. This will be really good. You have been calling me all this time to come and “be” your disciple. The emphasis is on the word, “be”, I am sure. Keep going, say more. You want me to become like you. You want me to follow your example. You want me to come to think and speak and act like you. How so? For example, if you are loving and kind and merciful, which you are, then you want me to be loving and kind and merciful. If you are tender and compassionate and forgiving, which you are, then you want me to be tender and compassionate and forgiving. As I draw near to you, as I am in your presence, it is your intent to change me. You want to change my heart and transform my mind. You will be molding and shaping my life as I live it with and for you. Day by day and moment by moment you will be making me to be more like you. Yes, I will. So, first and foremost, I will “be” all that you are calling me to “be”. Then, I will go and do all that you ask me to do. That is the correct order. This is how you want to work in and through me. Yes, it is. Now, I understand more clearly. That is very good. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I will drop everything to love, follow and serve you. You are my Savior and Lord. I will go where you guide me and do what you ask of me. I will also follow your example. Make me to be like you in all I think, say, and do as I live my life with and for you. Amen
Key Question… How willing are you to drop everything to follow Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
Living It Out… Follow the Lord to where He leads you to do what He gives you to do for Him.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will become more and more like the Lord as you love, follow and serve Him..
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are following all the examples Christ has set before you.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you come and be a follower of Jesus Christ so you can become like Him in all you think, say and do.
For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:
Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.
Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.
By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved Copying not permitted www.GrowingAsDisciples.com
