January 18, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Luke
Luke 5:27 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. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29 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. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
God is in the calling business, calling people to salvation in Christ Jesus. Jesus calls Levi a publican who was a tax collector for Rome. He was considered the lowest of the low according to the Jews for he left Jewish custom and took upon himself Roman customs.
Do you know Jesus calls sinners to repentance. He called Levi and Levi responded and followed Jesus.
Jesus is calling you if you are not a born-again believer. He calls all men to repentance.
2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Levi not only followed Jesus but took the bull by the horns, He made a great feast and invited all he could to it, publicans, religious people, and a host of others. We wanted others to have what he had. He wanted people to be saved.
When Jesus saved Levi, He saved all of Levi. Levi wholly followed Jesus. Not only did he follow Jesus, Levi let the world know that he was following Jesus, he did not hide a thing.
Today, there are a lot of chameleon Christians, you know, Christians who say that are saved but blend in real nice with the “sinners” around them so they won’t look out of place, hidden Christians. Levi was not hidden, he was open and excited about following Jesus. Levi invited the many to his feast with the Lord.
The thing about being a Christian in open and clear view of the world is that once you do so you will be expected to live like a Christian. People will be watching you from that point on. Maybe that is why so many Christians are chameleon, they don’t want any expectations. Which simply means this, they do not love the Lord their God with all their heart, they love anonymity instead. They want to walk the fence so they can dabble on both sides of the fence, you know, a little Christianity and a little sin, here a little and there a little.
Levi was not that type, he was sold out to the Lord and everyone knew it.
What about you Christian, are you sold out to the Lord?
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
