A Tax Collector Only a Mother Could Love

Luke 5:27-32, After this He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed Him. And Levi made Him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

BIG IDEA ... 

Jesus sees beyond who we are to who we can become.

1.  Jesus wasn’t deterred by Levi’s past.

Psalm 103:11-12, For as high as the Heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.

2.  Jesus discerned the potential of Levi’s future.

Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.

3.  Jesus even showed love for Levi’s friends.

Romans 5:6-8, For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

NEXT STEP ...

Trust that God sees the potential in our kids…  Allow Him to use you to invest in their future.