5 July 2013 - heritable blessings

5 July 2013 - heritable blessings

He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.

Matthew knows that worldly success is not enough.  His criteria for making decisions probably used to be having a comfortable life with as much worldly distraction as he could procure.  As a tax collector he likely succeeded in providing these for himself.  And in spite of that he is not content.  Such a life is rough on relationships.  Tax collectors aren't popular, as we can see from the comment of the Pharisees.  His acquisitions clearly aren't enough to make him happy.  When Jesus invites him he knows that his own resources are tapped out.  He is able to make a wholehearted response.

Many of us are in the same boat with the Pharisees.  We can't go all in because we have to protect our self-image as "good people."  The LORD gives us opportunities every day to make radical choices of love for him instead of ourselves.  So why don't we?  We want to maintain the illusion that we've already arrived.  We don't want to acknowledge all of the perfecting that we still need in order to stand before the awesome holiness of God in heaven.

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

And once we begin to make radical choices for God there is always the temptation to backslide.  We are like the Israelites who quickly forget the hardships of Egypt in the midst of the desert.  We begin to take for granted this new freedom we've been given.  We take for granted the providence of God that sustains us on our journey.  But we must not return to that land of slavery.  We must safeguard the promises the LORD has given us.  Abraham knows this and so is very explicit in his provisions for Isaac.

“Never take my son back there for any reason,” Abraham told him.

As we take concrete actions of faith God will unfold his plan for us. It sometimes doesn't seem like there is enough to sustain us on this pilgrimage.  As we trust him we come to learn that he always meets our needs  We come to trust that he will always provide enough for our journey.

Visit me with your saving help,
That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.