I think we’re all secretly pleased when we get a new follower on Twitter, Instagram or similar platform, and we watch that number increase. It’s natural to enjoy feeling important or popular. Sometimes though it can become almost like an obsession! I saw a quote the other day which really got me thinking:
Our focus can often be on ourselves and who is taking notice of us, rather than who we are taking notice of. Consider this from a spiritual perspective: how closely are you following Jesus? How much of your attention do you fully give to Him?
“If we want to grow closer to God, we’ll have to distance ourselves from whatever is distracting us.”
Lysa Terkeurst
In all honestly, I know lately I haven’t been spending as much time reading my Bible or in prayer. And there are no excuses for this: nothing is more important that my relationship with God. Following Jesus should be my top priority, but too often this just isn’t the case. Whilst I’ve been dwelling on this fact over the last few weeks, I was reminded of a sermon shared one year at Soul Survivor on this subject of following Jesus, titled ‘Leave like Levi’, and thought I would share some of the key points with you, in the hope it will encourage and motivate you, as much as it has done with me.
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him.”
Luke 5:27-28
Levi left everything! He simply left his job and followed Jesus, just like that; no questions asked!! Although it seems he left everything behind, he didn’t lose anything: in fact he gained far more. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we are told to leave behind all our old ways and begin a new walk of life alongside Jesus, following in His example. I know this isn’t always as easy as Levi made it look. Following Jesus is about forgetting our interests and desires, which goes against our natural mindset. We often cling to the things in our past or our comfortable, familiar place of security, but being a Christian is meant to be a leap of faith. Jesus beckons us to a different way of life, that puts aside self to seek God and serve others. Jumping into the unknown with both feet and trusting that God will show us the way. We won’t get it right one hundred percentage of the time because we are human, but our aim is to live a life that honours Him. Our focus should be set on God first; everything comes after Him. When Jesus calls you to follow Him, nothing matters as much as your relationship with Him, so just as Levi did, we should prioritise Jesus above all else. We need to forget the former things and fixate our eyes solely on Christ and follow in His footsteps.
“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
One way of doing so is sharing the gospel. Levi told everyone! He gathered everyone to a feast and made Jesus the guest of honour (Luke 5:29). Through us, we can introduce people to Jesus. Think about it: They know me: I know Jesus = Opportunity to meet Christ. Jesus called us to be a ‘fisher of men’, to point people to God. We need to strive to be open about our faith, sharing the love of Christ with others, as we go about our day-to-day. I have been guilty of doing the complete opposite, boxing Jesus up during the week, and only getting Him out on a Sunday. In the society we live in today, it is difficult to stand up for our faith and it takes courage to be different and not engage with things that go against our beliefs. However, we are commanded to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), by sharing what Christ has done, to others. When we testify to others about our own experiences of personal faith, we are reminded of the amazing work God has done in our lives, which deepens our love and understanding of Christ. We also don’t need to be fearful or worried about sharing our faith because God is always with us.
Levi went everywhere! As one of the disciples, Levi witnessed more of Jesus’ life and ministry than most others. Levi is also known as Matthew, who wrote one of the gospels. Matthew was a loyal follower of Jesus and followed Him wherever He went. In the same way, we each have a calling and purpose for our lives. God assures us that He has good plans for us. Just like Levi, we must be willing to follow Jesus in whichever direction he leads us. It might not always feel like a drastically big moment, like physically uprooting and leaving everything behind (although this could happen!), it can also be those smaller decisions, those subtle nudges we feel when our circumstances begin to alter and new opportunities arise. It’s all about denying our wants and desires and instead pursuing the intentions God has for our lives. We just need to follow Jesus, and trust that He will lead us to where we need to be.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
Not sure where to begin? If you’re not already a follower of Jesus, I’d like to share a few things with you now. Firstly, I want you to know you don’t need the perfect moment to come to Christ. Regardless of the situation you find yourself in right now, or how you view yourself, none of this matters to Christ; He simply asks you to come as you are: Jesus will take care of the sin. To follow Christ is to have a simple, honest conversation with Him, confessing your sin, repenting and asking for His forgiveness, inviting Jesus into your life and committing to following Him. It’s essentially turning away from your sins and proclaiming to truly follow Jesus the rest of your life. Following Christ isn’t promised to be easy, and I can vouch for that, but what I will say is journeying through life with God is so much better than without Him. Through all the joyous moments and the hardships, God promises to be with you, helping and guiding you every step of the way: Scripture is full of the promise that God is with your always. Trust your life into the hands and care of a loving God.
Want to know more? There are so many different online church services available now, especially since the beginning of the pandemic, where you can discover more about God and Christianity. Also feel free to leave a comment or message me, I’d love to discuss things with you or pray for you! 🙂
So, who are you following? Where is your attention?
Whether you are currently following Christ or are exploring what this means to you, I would encourage you to leave like Levi and follow Jesus wholeheartedly! Our attention should be concentrated upon strengthening our relationship with Christ, spending our time in His presence, and seeking His will for our lives.
God Bless! x
STEADFAST 