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. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” [Matthew 9:9-13]

I am so far from perfect. I make mistakes pretty much every day. As much as I try to treat people the way Jesus would, it’s hard to do it to everyone I encounter. I’m not always one who thinks before they act. That means, I don’t always pay attention to how I treat people. I do like to consider myself a nice person. I do like to respect people. I don’t know if I do it to everyone; someone would have to personally tell me how I’m treating them. It’s not enough just to be nice and to respect someone. Just as Matthew is called to reach out to those who are in need of Jesus, I am called to do the same. I am called to love on everyone. I am called to show them the love of Jesus, the only kind of love they need. Everyone needs to see the love of Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus. No one is too good for God. No one is too great or too high to need the love of Jesus.

Therefore, I need to work on acknowledging how I am treating someone. I must analyze how and where someone needs to be shown the love of God. I cannot seclude anyone from receiving God’s love through me. I drive someone away from God if I don’t watch my actions. Not only must I refrain from secluding others that try to come to me, but I must go and seek the outsiders. I must go to those who have been rejected and secluded. I must be the one to touch them when no one else would. That is how I reflect Jesus in me. I must let Jesus pull me to whom He wants me to help save. Allowing and knowing where Jesus is pulling you is a matter of following Him.

See, Jesus told Matthew to follow Him. He tells that to so many people so many times. Following Jesus means going to the places He goes. It means going to the people He goes to. It means doing what Jesus would do. It means analyzing His actions and embedding those same responses into yourself. It means be like Him in as many areas as possible. The more I follow Jesus, the more natural showing others love becomes. The more natural it becomes, the less I have to think about what I’m doing. The less I have to worry about whether I am being like Jesus. We no longer have to stop and think about it because we are confidently walking in His footsteps… But it has to be a constant decision to follow Him. It has to become a covenant. Following Him has to be forever.

Lord, I am in covenant with You. You shed Your blood. You endured abuse. You endured humiliation. You shed tears. You showed relentless and unconditional love. You gave Your life so I may have mine. How can I not give my life to You in return? How can I not love You back? You deserve it. You are worthy of my love, Lord. It’s all You ask for. A commitment is not enough. A covenant is what I make with You. For all my life will I choose to be by Your side. I never want to leave You because You never left me. You never abandoned me. I was not forsaken. You accepted me. You chose me. You saved me. You love me. You are truly wonderful. I want to follow You for all my life. I want my children and their children to follow You. I want my husband to follow You. I want my whole family to be in covenant with You. How can they know of Your love for them if I don’t do my part? May my love grow more and more each day. May I be able to reach out and touch everyone around me. Use me. My life is Yours. I want Your actions and thoughts to become by actions and thoughts. I want to be more like You. As You draw near to me, I draw near to You and the ones in need of Your love. Show me how to love those I am too far to physically touch. Thank You for all You have done for me, all You are doing, and all You will do. Bless You, Lord.