Day 23: Matthew 6-9

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. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. (Matthew 9:9-10 NIV)

Have you ever had a friend stop by unannounced so that you wished you’d done the dishes instead of watching Netflix?

Or maybe just the thought of hosting the weekly ladies’ Bible study throws you in a tailspin.
Who could possibly keep up with all that cleaning?

In today’s verse we learn about the encounter between Jesus and Matthew. Jesus asked Matthew to follow him, and the next thing we know, He’s over at Matthew’s house having dinner with him and his friends.

We don’t know if Matthew had to hold Jesus off while he ran home to clean. But we do know that Matthew’s life was messy. Yet, there was Jesus at home and at ease with Matthew and the other sinners.

Friend, I don’t know about you, but like Matthew’s, my life is messy too. Still, Jesus doesn’t wait for me to clean up the mess to visit with me. He asks me to follow him, and once I accept the invitation, He makes himself at home.

Today’s message is not about how to pick up your house in 15 minutes or how long it’s been since you cleaned your windows. It’s about a God who wants to spend time with you despite your mess.

God is not turned off by my messy kitchen or my messy life. He just wants me.

It’s so refreshing to know that I don’t have to clean up or have it all together before I can invite Him in.

So, today, I encourage you to let Jesus in. He knows your mess, and He still wants to bless you. And the best part of all is that He wants to clean up that mess for you. It all starts with following Him.

-Marva

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