“Go Sterilize Yourself”

Sometimes the world can be cruel but the Internet takes it to the next level.  I’ve tried to make it a practice not to get involved in debates on social media.  In my younger days I would engage in conversation and it almost never helped anything.  Online debate never goes well and people are usually cruel.  Online debates are like two toddlers fighting over a toy with no parent to moderate.

I think Twitter is perhaps the vilest of the social media world.  Recently on Twitter I broke my own rule and tweeted back at a political figure when I probably should have just scrolled on or better yet delete the app.

But alas there are certain hot buttons that make my anger rise up.  Abortion is the main one.  This politician said we should elect more women who will make sure women get the ‘reproductive healthcare’ they need.  She is an outspoken advocate for abortion and her name rhymes with Billary.   I gave a two-word response tweet, “Let’s not.” That was it.  It was snarky and perhaps I shouldn’t have done it but the fury that ensued was enlightening.

My two word reply gained dozens of responses.  I was told to ‘go sterilize myself.’  I was told that I was a weak man who was afraid of women.  I was told I hated women.  Many of the responses said that they felt sorry for my girls that I was their father.  And on and on it went.

As I looked at a number of the accounts of the people that were saying super cruel things I noticed that most of them didn’t have real names and many of them were accounts set up in a way that you couldn’t know the people commenting.

The Internet really allows people to say what they feel.  Maybe there are good reasons we don’t always say what we feel.  Maybe that is why we filter our words and choose them carefully before we fling them into the world.   If we always said what we felt most of us would be unemployed and divorced.  Social media creates a troll society in which people hide behind keyboards and say whatever they want.  It’s like a drive by shooting in which they can injure others with their words and move right on by.  Every person knows that old nursery rhyme is NOT true, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.”   So many of us have recovered from attacks by sticks and stones but words that were said decades ago still reverberate in our subconscious.

I imagine if I met these keyboard warriors who were saying incredible things about me online they would probably be less brutal face to face.  In fact I would guess that we would probably get along and they might not find me as atrocious as their comments would indicate.  We could probably even be friends.  I have been all over the world and encountered people who look different than I do, dress different, smell different, and believe different that I do.  In all the people groups I’ve met I’ve always found common ground with people when I took time to listen to their story and engage with them on a personal level. People are amazing!   Social media strips people down to the naked root of their worst moments. 

Again, this is a problem with social media.  We think we know people based on a few things that the Internet says about them.   We find out their faith and political preference and we assume that’s all we need to know to sum the person up.

I would warn that it’s so important to be kind online.

I think perhaps the only way to be on social media is to be kind.

Part of the staff culture at the church I work at is something we say, “Don’t email hard stuff.”   I have just found that there’s so much room for misinterpretation through written emails that if there’s something going on that could possibly be misinterpreted through a text or email we ask our staff to pick up a phone or go to talk to someone face to face.  This usually makes the margin of misinterpretation much smaller and we are almost always more kind through face-to-face interaction. 

While social media has done amazing things in connecting the world, like money, it’s a tool that can be used for good or for evil.  Be very careful with your words on social media.  Don’t assume you know the person you don’t know.

If you’re a Christian remember that you never have the privilege of being unkind.  Don’t be like me and engage in fruitless debate and make snarky remarks.  You have better things to do with your time.  Bake a pie. Read a book.  Go on a walk.  Talk to your family.

If you must stay on social media engage in one simple rule.

Use your social media to encourage others.

Like pictures.
Leave encouraging comments.

Scroll past stuff that makes your blood boil and maybe even remove it from your news feed.

Be salt and light in our wicked culture.  Don’t be a troll.

 

 

“I’d Give More If I Had More”

I’ve heard people say, “If I had more I would give more.”   I think in my younger days I probably felt the same way.  People that have a lot should give a lot.

This seems reasonable. We all see ourselves as generally good and generous people.  Surely, if we had more we would give more.   We purpose that the reason we do not give more is because we don’t have much. If we were rich…well then…

This sounds nice but it isn’t true. 

If you don’t give when you have little then you surely won’t give when you have much.  When you have more you are not more inclined to be generous, you are typically more inclined to spend more on yourself.

Jesus took His disciples aside to show them a very un-extravagant gift. In Mark Chapter 12 He shows them a woman who was the poorest of the poor.   She had almost nothing to give, but she gave all she had. The pastor from the pulpit would not recognize her gift.  Her name would not be put on a plaque and hung up in the church.  No one would congratulate her for what she had done.

…But Jesus noticed her.

Jesus stopped to teach His disciples about giving by using her example.   She gave the equivalent of a penny, but she gave all she had.  Her gift was given out of love and was an example of her faith.  By giving the little she had it would leave her nothing to live on.  She was a widow so she had no husband to take care of her needs.   What she gave, she gave in faith, believing God could take care of her.

If you’re waiting to reach some standard of living before you become a generous person then you will never become generous.   If you give when you have little then God can trust you with more.

I will never forget something Pastor Rick Warren said.  I am paraphrasing, but he was asked why he believed God used him and not some other pastor to write the best selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life”?   Rick Warren’s response was, “because God could trust me with the money.”  Based on the sales of the book Rick paid back all the salary he had ever taken from the church he pastors.  He has also become a reverse tither, giving 90% of his income and living off of 10%.

I have been asking myself if God wanted to bless me with a huge financial gift, “could He trust me with the money?”

Could he trust you?

The best way to become a generous person is to take a step of faith and start giving.

16 Things I Am Learning About Being A Dad

I think everyone knows that if we had fathers who were better fathers then the world would be a better place. I was blessed with a dad who has always been a ray of sunshine to those around him.  He taught me so many things.  Perhaps one of the reasons I have always wanted to have a big family is because my dad has always been my hero and it’s a way that I too could be a hero. I don’t know if I am a hero to many but I know there are 5 little souls that call me daddy.  The title of Dad is one that is honored and comes with a lot of responsibility.  Here are some things I have learned about being a dad.  Maybe they can help you.

1. Put the kids to bed.

I have found that kids open up and talk when it’s bedtime.  Maybe they are just stalling so they wont have to go to sleep but bedtime is a sacred moment to connect with your children.  It’s a time to pray over them and bless them.  It’s a comfort to children that the last voice they hear is their father who loves them praying over them.  They go to sleep feeling secure.

2.  Don’t waste drive time.

I have found the best time to disciple my kid’s is in the car.  We have very meaningful spiritual conversations on the way to school. There are very few distractions and they can’t go anywhere.  If you are intentional you can use this time to teach them life’s most important truths. You can read more about what I do with my kid’s here https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/dont-waste-drive-time-with-your-children/

3.  Push them on the swing. Soon they won’t ask.

The years that they are small enough to swing on the swing or play with you at the pool are so very short. I know you are tired and have other things to do…but go push them on the swing.

4.  Take them with you.

The best way to disciple you children and teach them about life is just to take them with you.  I learned so many lessons about how to be a man by just hanging out with my dad.  We would go visit the nursing home to see my grandmother, burn piles of leaves in the yard, and mow yards together.   Everything he did taught me about life.   It’s now my habit to always have some child with me…many times I will have all 5.  Life is the greatest teacher.  Take them with you and take the time to explain what is going on and how you are responding.

5.  Learn to explain what you are doing.

Kids ask so many questions. I must hear the word “Daddy” a thousand times a day.   Honestly, it can be super frustrating and annoying.  But God made children to learn.  They question everything.  If we have the patience (which often I do not) to answer them then we are building the fabric of their lives.  We are shaping how they see the world.  That is a big responsibility.

6.  Let them try and fail. They will not do it right till they do it often.

My 9-year-old girls are good little cooks.  They can make pancakes, broccoli and a number of others dishes all by themselves.  They couldn’t always do it.   They messed up a lot of pancakes learning how to flip them.  We have to let our children try and try again so they can learn.   Allow them to fail.  This is a hard part of the parenting journey.  Help them fail forward and learn each time they try.

7.  Give them individual time.

The more children you have the more of a challenge this will be.  I try to take my daughters on daddy/daughter dates at least a couple of times per year. My son and I hang out together often.  This one on one time means so much to your children and builds a foundation of love for a lifetime.

8.  Don’t allow the world to revolve around your children.

It seems so many families today plan their life around their children.  If you do this then your child is likely to grow up believing what you have taught them, that the world revolves around them.  It’s going to be really hard for them in the real world when they find out that it’s not true.

9.  Hug them a lot.

If your children aren’t frustrated or embarrassed by how much you hug them and show them affection, in a healthy way, then you probably aren’t hugging them enough.

10.  Encourage them often.

Home must be a safe place where your kids know they have a place that they fit in.  Shower them with words of encouragement as often as possible. Call them to who you believe they can be.

11.  Discipline them as if their future depends on it, because it does.

12.  Be there for them.

Go to their games, recitals, awards, and everything else that you possibly can.

13.  Show them faith.

Remember they do not do what you tell them as much as they become who you are.

14.  Teach them to be kind to others.

The world is full of mean people.  Teach your children to be kind.  Teach them to invite children to their birthday party that may not get invited by others.  Teach them to love all people, especially those that may be a little different.

15.  Show them how to serve the family.

16.  Be Their Friend.

I understand that I am always called to be my child’s parent first. I must teach them and correct them and guide them.  But I also understand that there will soon come a time when they will leave my home. I want to be their friend.  It is the friendship that parents have with children that last longer than the “parenting “ years.  Two of my greatest friendships are with my mom and dad. They will always be my parents but they are also the ones I call on when I need a listening ear and a word of advice. They are the ones who pray for me. We have a deep friendship.  I want to foster this kind of relationship with my children.

What have you learned about being a dad that I left off?

Run It Back!

“Run It Back!” was the phrase we would hear on hot days at high school football practice.   Whether it was a drill we were doing or plays we were learning it meant that we didn’t do it right so we would do it again until we got it right.  We would practice the same drill over and over again until, for that day, we learned something.

High school football teaches you a lot about life.  Now I feel like my life is on an unending loop with my children.  I tell them the same basic things over and over again.  I even find myself quoting my high school football coaches in the process.  It’s simple stuff like cleaning a room without putting all the clothes under the bed or loading the dishwasher the right way.   The more they do it wrong the more I have to tell them to “Run it back.” This is how we learn.  We do it over and over and over again.

God teaches us the same way in our faith.   He shows us great spiritual truths about life or He gives us a spiritual breakthrough and if we grow we get to keep moving forward but if we don’t ‘get it’ then we have to run it back.

The Gospels can be almost comical when we look at the lives of the disciples.  They always have to “run it back.”  They seem very thick skulled and constantly frustrating Jesus with their lack of understanding.

They weren’t dense; they were just like we are.  Seeing yet not believing.

One particular example is in Mark 6 where Jesus fed 5000 people.   The people were hungry and Jesus told the disciples to go get them something to eat.  They were dumbfounded and completely clueless to how to accomplish this feat.   Jesus would then perform a miracle and feed the 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish.  Just 2 chapters later in Mark 8, again Jesus is with a group of 4000 people with no way to feed them.  So what does He do?  He basically repeats the drill with His disciples.  Unfortunately they have the same boneheaded answer, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

They had witnessed Him feed 5000 people and have 12 baskets left over but now with 4000 people in front of Him they had no clue how these people would be fed.   Boneheads!

These boneheads are just like me.  God shows me something and teaches me something about life and about His Kingdom and then I forget. 

The lessons for me that are the hardest to learn are the lessons of FAITH.

He took care of my child last time she was sick, surely He can do it now.
He got me through the last time I was anxious, surely He can do it now.
He met every need last time I was in a pinch; surely He can do it now.

God is constantly having me “run it back” when it comes to lessons of faith. 

It’s crazy because just like the disciples I have clearly recorded examples of where God has come through in my life.  He’s answered my prayers.  He’s been with me.  He’s come through.  I even keep a prayer journal with answer prayers to remember how God has come through.

Yet, here I go again. When the test comes I look at Jesus like those disciples.  I come to Jesus and say, “what are we going to do?”

Jesus is always gentle and He gets me through each trial teaching me the same lesson over and over again.  I think in heaven there must be a sigh and an eye roll of the angels and they say, “run it back.”  Rick sill isn’t getting it.

What about you?

Can you identify some areas in your life where maybe you keep coming to the same test?

What is it you need to learn?

What is keeping you from getting to the next drill?

When A Prophet Gets Political

In the Bible prophets were those who spoke a message from God to people.  Most of the time these prophets and their messages were unpopular.

Today the voices of Pastors and Prophets have been diluted to the point that they have little power. It seems that many of God’s prophets have aligned themselves with politicians.  When this happens their message becomes diluted and weak.  The last couple of presidential cycles have exposed a lot of people that used to be my heroes.  Many of the ‘men of God’ that I looked up have cashed in their prophetic voices for political points.

In America it’s sometimes tricky to know when and when not to be involved in the political process.

Pastors are called to be the voices of truth in the culture.   When something is wrong we speak up no matter whom the politician who may be in office.

We pray for leaders.
We encourage leaders.
We also rebuke leaders when the need calls for it.

Mark Chapter 6 gives us a picture of one of God’s greatest prophets, John the Baptist.   It’s a hard chapter to read because in the chapter a wicked King named Herod would behead John.

I think there are some particularly interesting things we learn about what John did.

His primary job was to prepare the way for Jesus to come.  He did this with one message he preached that was essentially one word: “Repent.”

Repent is a Bible word that means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. He called the religious and political leaders of the day snakes and told them to repent.

No matter who was in front of him he preached the same message.

If you were rich, “repent.”
If you were poor, “repent.”
If you were old, “repent.”
If you were young, “repent,” and so the message went.

I think we can learn some things about the role of a prophet that have been lost on today’s preachers and prophets.

• Prophets have a clear message. Speaking the message is the most important job of the prophet.  John was called, “a voice.”  A prophets job is to tell the truth.  They are truth tellers.
• Prophets stay on message. The prophet did not change the message based on the audience.   John confronted King Herod not only with the message of repentance but the personal message of what Herod needed to repent of.   Sexual sin with his sister-in-law.  This very direct confrontation would land John in jail. Eventually he would lose his head.  The pressure he faced being in front of a king would have swayed most ‘prophetic voices’ of our day.  Maybe they would have said things like, “we are not electing a Pastor but a President.”  Wrong is wrong and the prophet always says so.  Voices from God should always say what God says.
• Prophets pay a price. Being true to the message is almost always costly and even deadly to the prophet. Do a little study of the Old Testament prophets and you will find that they were not glamorous people but usually men that had incredibly difficult lives calling people to do what they did not want to do.  Most of them would die trying. 

Pastor and Preachers are the prophets of our day.   It would do most of us well to stay on the point of the message of the Gospel.  We are kind when we can be kind but we always tell the truth even when it can damage us personally.

The mighty Twitter prophets clamor for follows and likes.  They seem to be more interested in fighting with each other than standing on the promises.

We speak out against injustice, murder, sexual immorality, lies, slander and the like no matter who is in office.  Our message is the same message of John and of Jesus….Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Refusing Help

Sometimes I watch the Dr. Phil show.   It’s mind blowing to me how Dr. Phil can confront people with cold hard facts in an overwhelming way and they still deny the facts he’s presenting to them.  I was watching a clip from his show recently where he was confronting a lady who thought she was married to a man overseas but in reality she was being scammed for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Doctor Phil and this woman’s family laid out all the facts and showed her evidence after evidence of how she was in fact being duped and used.  She held on to her fantasy because perhaps the truth was too painful.

This is an extreme example but I think we all don’t like to be confronted with areas of our life that are toxic.

In the Book of Mark Chapter 5 Jesus came to a village and set a man free of the bondage he was in. The man had been full of demons for years.  Jesus cast many demons out of this man and the whole village was in shock.

When this miracle took place instead of getting excited about it the people of the village asked Jesus to leave.  The people were afraid.  Jesus came to help these people and to set them free.  He came to offer them salvation but they would end up begging Him not to stay.

The great irony is that they were kicking out of their city the only one who could help them.
They thought they were ok but they weren’t.
They thought they didn’t need help but they did.

Have you ever been guilty of pushing someone away who was there to help?
Have you refused the good advice someone was giving you because you didn’t want to hear it?
Have you gotten angry with a friend or family member because they told you a hard truth about yourself that you did not want to deal with?

I know I have!

My wife has a way of telling me things I don’t want to hear about myself.  I usually get defensive but upon further reflection she is almost always right. The truth hurts.  I think there have been times when we have all said or done something to push the person away who is sent to help.

Why?
Why do we do that?

We do it because change is hard.
We do it because it exposes our motives.
We do it because sin is fun.
We do it because we want to stay the ruler of our own kingdom of self. 
We do it because we don’t want to admit we are wrong.
We do it because it may hurt our pocketbook.
Pride.  

Are you doing this now?

If Jesus came to your house today would you want Him to stay or leave?

It sounds simple enough but the reality is that when Jesus comes things change.  They always change.  The closer you get to Jesus the more your life will change.

He is a great big light that exposes what is in the dark of your heart.
He is the doctor that tells you that you have the cancer of sin and it must be cut out.
He is the one who pulls back the rug of your life and exposes all the dirt that is underneath.
He is the Dentist you have been avoiding that has to do a root canal to fix the problem.

Today, if Jesus came to you exposing all the junk that is inside of you would you want it fixed?

He offers to fix you but in order to fix you, you must come clean about your sin and repent. There is no other way to let Him fix you.

People hated Jesus. They wanted Him to leave their city.  Ultimately they wanted Him dead.   We never like our sin and wicked self exposed.  So much so, that we would be willing to kill an innocent man to keep it a secret.

This almost sounds silly but this is what millions of people do everyday.  They are confronted with truth and rather than live in the light of the truth they simply ignore the truth or just deny it.

You can ignore truth. You can ask Jesus to leave.  You have the freedom to make those choices.

But you can never make bad choices and have good long term results.

Eventually your sin will find you out.  Eventually you will reap the bitter fruit you planted.  Eventually you will have to pay for your sins.

It’s better to invite Jesus to have control now then for you to end your life separated from God.

Do not ask Jesus to leave.  Today, let Him come and do His work in your life.  Let Him deal with your ‘demons.’  Let Him expose your sin.  Let Him love and forgive you.  It will require some pain and change but in the end it will mean the difference in life and death.

A few steps:

1. Listen when people you love tell you that you have a problem.
2. Read your bible and identify what needs to change in your life.
3. Confess your sin and repent.
4. Get help.  Go to church. Find a small group.   See a counselor.  Get in a recovery program like this one https://www.christplace.com/chance2/
5. Follow Jesus.   Make time each day to seek Jesus in prayer and reading the Bible.

 

 

The “What About Them?” Disease

One of the most basic principles I see over and over again that is lost on most people is a principle that Jesus taught about investing what is given.

Mark 4:24 and he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

I think what Jesus was saying was simple.

Pay attention –> Use what you learn –> When you use what you learn you will be entrusted with more.

He said this in a number of different ways in the gospels.  He talked about three different individuals that were given money (talents/minas) by their master. They were told to invest the money while their master was gone.  One was given 10, one 5, and one 1.   The one with 10 double his money. The one with 5 doubled his money. The one with 1 was fearful and buried his money so not to lose it.

When the master returned he rewarded the two servants who had invested his money and gotten a return on it. He punished the wicked servant who buried his money and the master gave the money to the one who had 10.

This is such a picture of life.  Some of us are born with many gifts and abilities some of us are born with few. The focus is not on fairness. Lots of people today want to focus on the fact that some have many talents and some of few.  The best question is not how to make everyone equal, but what am I doing with what has been entrusted to me?

When I am faithful with the gifts, talents and knowledge the Lord has given me then He will give me more.

If I take the gifts that I have been given and I don’t use them or I simply get upset because another guy is more gifted than me I waste my gifts and I dishonor the giver of my gifts.

Many people today who want more gifts but have not invested the ones they have.  They want more responsibility but have not been faithful with the little responsibility they are given.

If you want to one-day run the company then start by cleaning the toilets.
If you want to preach to 1000’s then start by leading a 6^thgrade boys Sunday School Class.
If you want to have a family then start by getting a job and taking care of yourself.
If you want to run a marathon then you better start walking a little more each day.
If you want to be a scholar then spend time reading today.
If you want to have a lot of friends then find someone to be friendly to.
If you want your kids to grow up to be awesome individuals then take time today to teach them something meaningful.
If you want to be a great musician then you must practice everyday.

We all know it takes thousands of bricks to build a home, but homes never get built unless someone starts laying some bricks.  If a house builder focuses on the heat, how big the house is, and how few helpers he has then he will never lay bricks.

You will never get to the future that you want if you don’t do now what you are supposed to do.

So many people focused on others that they waste the talent that has been given to them.  They have the “what about him” disease.  This disease infects us all and over the course of our lives we must learn to eradicate it from our lives.  I see it so clearly in my children.  If I ask them to clean something up I can expect within a short period of time the question to come from one of them, “what about ____________ they are not doing anything?”   To which I always respond, “It is not your job to worry about _____________.  It is your job to do what I asked you to do!”

When you worry about others you steal from your ability to do what you have been gifted to do and you bury your talent.

What are you good at?
What do you want to be good at?

Be faithful today to do something today and you will see growth tomorrow.

 

 

A Different Kind of Family

What does family mean to you?

To me, family is a word that represents closeness.  Usually when we talk about family we are talking about our blood relatives, father, mother, brothers and sisters.  These constitute the closest relatives that we can have.

Families are the people that know you better than most and love you anyway.

Families are the people who show up in your life when everyone else may be leaving.

Families are the ones whom you have shared much of life and childhood with.

Families are the people who shaped you when you were a child.

Families are the people you look like and have mannerisms like.

Families are the people you go home to at holidays.

Families are the people who are sit with you when you are in the hospital.

Families are the people who give you money if you have an emergency.

Families are the people you build a future with.

Families are typically the closest group of people you have on earth.

Growing up in my home were Dad, Mom and my two older brothers.   These people I dearly love and they are my family.  God has blessed me with a spectacular earthy family of my own.  I have a wife and five children.

Not all families love. Not all families are great.

I have often heard it said that blood is thicker than water.   There are some who believe blood relationship is closer than any other earthly bond.

Jesus didn’t seem to think that blood relationships defined family.

Jesus made it clear that there was a deeper family.

When he was preaching, teaching and healing his earthly family (mom and brothers) came to Him. It seems that they wanted to shut Him up.  When asked if He would see His family Jesus gave a peculiar answer.  He said, “Who are my mothers and brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around Him, he said, “here are my mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” 

Jesus was making a point. Blood relatives are important but real family is found in the kingdom of God.

Belief is a stronger than blood.

The Kingdom is more important than kin.

This is a hard lesson that Jesus was teaching.  Jesus would make it clear that to put faith in Him would sometimes cause a huge rift in families.  It would cause a major divide.   Not everyone would trust Him.  Not everyone would follow Him.  Jesus would not apologize when He said that he would set mother against daughter and father against son.

The Kingdom of God is more important than the Kinship of man.

But to follow Jesus and be at odds with your family does not leave you without a family.  Jesus was making the point that there is a greater family.  It’s a family of something deeper than blood, belief.  It is a family of faith.

Blood, but not our blood unites the Church, the family of God.   The blood of Jesus unites us.  We hold to a common core belief that rules all other beliefs.  It’s the belief that Jesus is the Messiah.  He died for the sins of the world.

While we still have physical families we have a spiritual family and if our earthly family does not line up with our spiritual family (the church) then we must go with our spiritual family.

The strongest and most complete picture of family is when your earthly family and your spiritual family align.  My greatest prayer for my wife and children is that their first and most important relationship will be with Jesus.   When they are following Jesus and I am following Jesus we align our lives in every way.

If you did not grow up in a home with a close earthly family, God did not leave you without a family. When you follow Jesus you become part of a big family.  The Church becomes your brother and sisters.  You find a place of love and acceptance.

The church is the family of God and the hope of the world.

 

I See You

How do you see people?
Do you see people as they are or as they could be?

Have you ever had someone believe that you could be somebody or do something that you didn’t think you could be or do?

…Maybe they called out a particular gift they saw in you.
…Maybe they asked you to do a job you did not think you were capable of doing.

When people have called me out in positive ways it has always resulted in growth in my life.  If I did not believe in myself then I would borrow their belief in me.

Jesus had a unique way of seeing people.

In the book of Mark chapter 2 Jesus is beginning His ministry and He calls a guy out named Levi. The Bible says that Jesus “saw Levi…sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

Jesus SAW Levi in a way that other religious leaders would never have seen him.  Levi was a tax collector.  In those days a tax collector was a despised thief of his own people. He would have been picked last for any potential role as a spiritual leader.  He would’ve been seen as the worst kind of sinner.

But Jesus SAW him differently.

Like new parents watching their child, Jesus saw, not who he was, but who he could be.  Jesus made a huge ask of him.  Jesus essentially asked him to completely change his life.  Jesus was saying, “leave the tax collecting business…leave everything and follow me.”

Levi would go on to be a world-changing disciple of Jesus Christ and would write the book of Matthew in the New Testament.

Jesus sees you differently than anyone else sees you.  He loves you more than your mama.

At some point in time we get stuck with a label of who we are.

Slow.  Fat.  Dumb. Lazy.  Angry.  Loser.  Just Like Your Mom/Dad.  Not popular.  Ugly.  Pretty.  Skinny.  Smart.  Black. White.

There seems to come a time in our lives when we’ve been told enough who others think we are and we start believing their voices.  The people that tell us who we are have great impact for good or for evil in our lives.

Be really careful whom you listen to.
Be reminded today of how Jesus sees you.
He knows you better than anyone and He loves you.
He knows the deepest darkest part of you and He still offers love and forgiveness.
He calls you to be who you can be and not who you are.

The call is the same today as it was in the time of Levi.  If you want to be whom Jesus is calling you out to be there are two words that will make all the difference, “Follow Me.”

When you say yes to follow Jesus you are saying “No” to the other voices in your life who are telling you what and who you should be.

You get to choose the voice you will follow.

Today my prayer for you is that you will be able to see how much Jesus loves you. My prayer is that you will also see others, not as their label or their outside, but as Jesus might see them.

Speak life into others! There are some pretty bright lights in this world that may just need an encourager to flip their switch on.