Mark 2:14-17
“As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””
Mark 2:14-17 NIV
In these verses we’ll see that Jesus reached out to and called very unlikely people to follow after Him as His disciples, people no one else would have chosen, people who were unlovely because of their sinfulness. We come across unlovely people every day, rough and unkind people, people who reject Jesus and anyone who talks about Him, people whose lives are corrupted and controlled by sin, people whom it’s difficult to show love and kindness to. Do you know anyone like this, at your workplace, in your neighbourhood, maybe in your family? As we look at how Jesus showed love to these kinds of people we can imitate our Saviour and Learn to love the unlovely like Jesus did. God sees past our nice clothes, our fit or flabby exterior, our makeup, our fake smiles and our declaration that we’re fine. God sees our heart and He knows exactly where we stand with Him. He sees every sin we struggle with and every weakness and flaw. God knows that every single one of us needs to be saved from our sins in Jesus Christ because our hearts are corrupted by sin. So, if we are going to love the unlovely, which is really everyone, then we need to see past their hard exterior and realize this person was made in God’s image. This person is broken in their sins and Jesus loved them so much He came to suffer and die for their sins on the cross. This person needs Jesus to save them though repentance of their sins and saving faith in Him. Seeing people the that way God sees them will cause us to love them no matter how unlovely they may be. When you are broken by your sins so that you think that you cannot do this, that you cannot be good enough or be what the gospel has called you to be, that is when Jesus says to you that you are exactly where He wants you to be. God’s Word is to humble so that we will seek the mercy and grace of Jesus. The Word was not given so that you would think that you are good enough. The Word came so that you would plead and make your appeal for the mercy of God. If you are trying to be good enough, you need to stop because you can’t be good enough. You are pursuing a path that leads away from salvation. Instead, be cut to the heart by your sins and let God’s grace change you from the inside out. The more we see how much we have been forgiven, the more we will love the Lord our God and love our neighbors as ourselves. I just think about my life, about my family. I think about the church I’m a part of. I want to live and I want to be a part of a body of Christ where sinners feel welcome, where people who are far from God, feel loved and cared for and are drawn to, not because we are like the world. That’s obviously not the case here. In Jesus life, He was totally different from the world in such a way that people were drawn to the grace and the mercy that was found in Him. Oh, I want my life to look like that. I want my life to overflow with grace and mercy and love in such a way that people who are far from God through my life would be drawn to Jesus. I want to be a part of a body of Christ where people who are far from God are strangely drawn to the love and the grace and the mercy they find in Christ. How about You?!!!
Father thank You for this day and offering the covenant of reconciliation to mankind through Your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Lord let Your abundant blessings flow over my friend and family today. Lord grant Your people constant joy, in the renewed vigour of their souls. Lord we rejoice because You have restored us to the glory of Your adopted children, through Him who saves them. Lord thank You that You came for those who know they don’t have it all together, thank You that you came for people like us, people who are broken, people who have made mistakes, and people who still make mistakes and still disappoint themselves and others, people who’ve got a shameful and chequered past. Lord use my friend to be a blessing that someone needs today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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