| Jesus, the Christ, doesn’t invite us to follow Him, simply because we believe in Him. That’s important, but most importantly: Christ invites us to follow Him because God believes in us! Christ Jesus says, “Follow me and I will make you…” Jesus knows all of our potential and what we can become when God’s grace touches our lives. Matthew, who recorded these words of Jesus, was a Jew in first century Palestine. He collected taxes from the Jewish citizens for the Roman occupiers who enslaved his country and allowed for their hired tax collectors to keep some of the revenue for their collection services to them. After all, Jewish people knew better than the Romans where other Jews lived and the kind of money they earned. In the eyes of his fellow citizens, Matthew was seen as a traitorous and corrupt man; worse than scum. Yet, Jesus called him and Matthew ended up writing the first book of the New Testament. When another would be disciple, Nathaniel was invited to meet Jesus he was downright skeptical. “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” he asked. Phillip, another disciple said to him, “Come and see.” Jn 1:46. Even after three years of personal acquaintance, and hearing the Master Teacher speak His messages and seeing His miracles of healing, provision and inclusion of outcasts, all the disciples seem to still have recurring doubts about where they would fit into God’ s divine plan. Reading the New Testament Gospels, we see how often, Jesus said to them, “O ye of little faith…why do not believe?...If only you would believe, you would see.” Even at the end of his earthly ministry, before His ascension back into heaven, Jesus knew his disciples were still anxious about what would happen if they truly followed Him and He said, “I will pray and God will give you another Comforter, even the (Holy) Spirit of truth, who will abide with you forever.” Jn. 14:16. We are so much like the disciples of Jesus; there will never be a day when we won’t need God’s help with understanding the divine plan for our lives and just what God is seeking to make of us. Each week at Cornerstone, we seek to explore the claims of Jesus Christ upon our lives. During this Lenten Season we invite you to join us in weekly exploration of the Mystery and Mercy of God who loved us just as we are and constantly seeks to enable us to celebrate abundant life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The darkness of a Good Friday tomb cannot hold back the dawning of the victorious Easter resurrection which awaits all those who will believe and live. So, come as you are. Come with all the baggage of your self-righteousness or your sordid past. Come with your halo or your hang-ups. Come, even though you wonder if God can still do what Jesus promises. Let the power and presence of Christ’s Spirit rub off on you. What do you have to lose? You have tried to live life your way and it didn’t work, now try the way of Jesus. Come and see. You Are God’s Best! Pastor Lee |
| Come As You Are…”Follow Me, and I will make you…” Matthew 4:19 |