“A Customs Man Get a Call”
Thursday, June 20, 2024Key Verse
“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, follow me. And he arose, and followed him” (Matthew 9:9).
Text — Matthew 9:9-13
Message
Matthew, also called Levi, an apostle was by occupation, a tax collector (publican). His duty was to collect revenue on goods passing between Damascus and the Mediterranean ports. The publicans were perceived as extortioners and even as traitors since they served Rome. When Jesus called Matthew, he immediately obeyed and followed Him. It is a wise youth who follows Jesus, the only Way. For He who is the Way knows the way, shows the way and leads the way. Following Christ is following the sure pathway of repentance. Repentance is the hallmark of a true follower. It is the doorway to eternal life and eventual bliss in heaven.
Unsaved youths are sin-sick and bedridden, needing Jesus the true physician. He is the only cure for man’s problem of sin. He said, “… for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” To follow Christ, a sinner must realize his sinfulness, confess those sins, accept Jesus as Lord and only Saviour and thereafter take up his cross to daily follow Him.Would you heed the call?
Quote
He immediately obeyed
Challenge
Brother, sister, heed Jesus’ call.
Prayer for today
Give me grace, Lord, to follow you.
About Author - Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
