‘Follow
me.’
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[December 11, 2008]
-- Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd
gathered around him, and he taught them. As he was walking along,
he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said,
‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.”-Mark 2: 13-14
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There
are lots of things in Scripture that are difficult for us to
imagine because they seem supernatural. Stories of miraculous
healings, resurrection, plagues and pillars of cloud and flame
seem impossible. But this passage from Mark, while not
otherworldly, seems almost as unlikely. A man sits in his tax
booth, collecting taxes from the people and making a fine living
when Jesus walks up, says, “follow me,” and the man just goes.
Imagine a similar scene playing out in your workplace. Someone
walks in, tells one of your co-workers to follow, and they just
go, never to be seen at work again. It is almost as easy to
imagine a plague of frogs raining upon us. And yet we can be
assured that this story, and stories like it, are rooted in the
truth. Jesus was a nobody from nowheresville. He had no
reputation and no one knew what he was all about. Yet he was
able to put together a loyal and significant band of followers
who became the foundation for the Church that still exists to
this day. How?
Jesus was able to tap into the human desire for one
thing…purpose. Catching fish is nice, he said, but I will make
you fishers of people. Collecting taxes may be lucrative, he
said, but where has it gotten you? Moments like these that
reframed the way people thought about their daily lives. So how
do you think about your life? Does it have real meaning? Is
the work you do and the life you lead part of any greater
purpose or do you simply do it to put food on your table and a
roof over your head? All of us want to be a part of something
greater than ourselves and this is what Jesus offers even today,
the chance to do something more with our lives than catch some
measly fish or skim off the top of the taxes. He offers us the
chance to know people on deep, personal levels; he offers us the
opportunity to look beyond the horizon of our immediate needs;
he offers us the means to change the world itself. Jesus Christ
offers us all these things and within them is the clarity of
purpose that we all seek.
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Prayer: God, help me to find the purpose in my life. What
are you calling me to do? Where do you want me to go? I want to
serve you and I want to know this purpose in my life. I pray in
Jesus’ name. Amen.
[text from file received by Phil Blackburn ]
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