Chosen By Christ

Our Daily Walk with Christ Sabbath Devotional – December 21, 2024

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.”  —Matthew 9:9, NLT.

When reading this verse, we find evidence of true heart conversion by the Holy Spirit. Matthew, the rogue tax collector did not make a spontaneous decision to accept Christ and leave everything when Jesus said, “Follow me.” Day by day, while sitting at his tax table under the shade of the bountiful tree, Matthew heard countless testimonies of Jesus’ healing the sick and preaching messages of hope and salvation.

Matthew’s decision to follow Jesus occurred long before Jesus approached him. Regardless of his wealth and lavish lifestyle, Matthew got up, left everything, surrendered his heart, mind, soul, and character, and committed to the spiritual process of being transformed by Jesus Christ, the Messiah. For his dedication and commitment to Christ, God honored his obedience by granting Matthew the privilege of writing the first book of the New Testament documenting Jesus’ ministry on earth.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit…” (John 15:16). Jesus tells us, that we did not choose Him, He chose us. If we think of our initial decision to accept Jesus as our Savior, we realize that accepting Christ was a supernatural experience. To bear fruit [Galatians 5:22-23] requires that we abide in Christ through the daily human effort of prayer, surrender, faithful obedience, and study of the Scriptures.

Perhaps, we never understood that we were chosen to follow Christ and have not totally committed to discipleship. God never leaves us without the knowledge we need to come to Him in total surrender. From our desire to fulfill God’s Divine purpose, we strive to obey God’s will and plans for our lives. “Be holy, for I Am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). When we agree to let go of sinful practices and people, the Third Person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit performs the lifelong transformation of our character and behaviors to reflect the Righteousness of Christ.

Before Christ comes again, through the Holy Spirit, every human being will receive the opportunity to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Still, we use our God-given free will choice to accept Christ or deny him. If we say yes to Jesus’ invitation then we agree to live a life of surrender and faithful obedience to God’s will by seeking and obeying His precepts and will for our lives.

We were bought with a price, and that price was Jesus’ life. His sacrificial gift on Calvary’s Cross was to offer us an alternative to the price of sin. For the Love, Grace, and Mercies, we receive every day, certainly God deserves our faithful obedience. Today, consecrate yourself and make the covenant to relinquish your will and obey God. In Jesus’ Name, Peace and Blessings!

“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” —1 John 4:9-10

Lord God, we thank You for choosing us to receive salvation through the gift of Your precious Son, Jesus. We choose to follow Christ and pray for the strength to live consecrated, holy, and acceptable lives. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.

© 2024 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry