As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. – Matthew 9:9
Our 40 Days of Lent are focused on connecting. How did Jesus connect in his daily walk? As he went, he met a sinful broken man and said, “Follow me.” No sermon, no scripted pitch. He connected with Matthew by simply extending an invitation.
As baptized Christians, we are all called to “go therefore and make disciples.” The literal Greek translation of “go” is “while going.” “While going, make disciples.” Just like Jesus, as we are going through our hectic day, we are to make disciples, share Jesus and extend God’s love to another.
Do you think you are too busy? Jesus had just calmed a storm, healed someone with leprosy, driven demons out of two men, crossed over the Sea of Galilee, and healed a paralytic while simultaneously revealing that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins! Our schedules are not too busy to extend God’s love; we can do this! Sharing Jesus is not an extra task; it’s our calling as Christians.
40 days of connecting and reconnecting – how can we do this? One idea is to pick up the phone and make a quick call to someone who, prior to this pandemic, you talked with or sat near in church – someone you haven’t seen or talked with in months. No sermon, no script; just you and the Holy Spirit calling to check on a fellow Christian friend whom you miss and care for.
Consider how you would feel receiving that kind of a caring call. Be the blessing! Call one or two of your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ this week, and you will hear in your heart the Holy Spirit say as you hang up, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Believe me, you will be the one blessed.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me, like Matthew, be obedient to you without hesitation in my life. Today and every day, keep my eyes and ears alert and my heart soft so that I might hear and respond with joy to your call to be a blessing to another. Amen.
Contributed by Larry Johnson
Bible Reading
Read Luke 7:36-50 and record any insights you gain here.
Call to Connection
Reflect on a time when God walked with you, even though you felt unworthy. Journal a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness.