Title
Jesus Never Coerced Anyone
Scripture
As He passed by He saw Levi…sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
(Mark 2:14)
Devotional
We want to be implored and cajoled. Jesus simply says, “Follow Me.” We so often approach Christ with a consumer attitude. We demand to know what Jesus can do for us. We have this attitude toward His church as well. We shop for churches like we are looking for a good restaurant. We check out the parking, nurseries and restrooms to make sure that they meet our standards. The location has to be convenient and the people must meet our expectations of friendliness. Like a good restaurant, after awhile we get tired of the menu and look for another. Jesus never coerced anyone. He would say, “Take up the cross and follow Me.” We are not to follow Christ for convenience. We are to follow Him because he is Lord of all. We likewise are not to choose a church based on our needs only. We are to go where Christ leads. Christ is looking for servers not consumers.