And after these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed Him. And Levi made Him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:27-32)
Levi was given a choice and chose to leave all the taxes and worldly money and follow Christ. He took up his cross, left the world behind and went wherever Jesus went. The promise of earthly riches paled compared to Christ and eternal life. The Light of the world drives out the darkness of sin and Levi responded to the call of God when it came. The religious leaders who saw themselves as righteous despised their neighbors because of their profession and rejected their fellow man. Jesus came to call those whose hearts are not hardened by their self-righteousness to be reconciled unto Himself through repentance and faith in Him.
We all have a choice concerning Jesus Christ and there is no neutral. God calls us unto Himself, to be reconciled through grace by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, and made new. God has condemned all of sinful man as worthy of death, for all have sinned and the wages of sin is death, but extended forgiveness to whosoever will come to Him on His terms and be born again. Those who chose to stay in the darkness will remain in their sin, despite their self-righteousness, but those who turn away from their own sin and surrender to God will receive His righteousness and the gift of eternal life. Just as Levi left all and followed Christ, we must leave all, including our sin, for our liberty is not a license to continue in sin, and take up our cross and follow Him. As the Spirit within sends those who are His, we reach the lost with the Gospel, teach all nations whatsoever He has commanded, and preach His Word until all have heard and He is done with us and brings us Home.
Until that day, God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet