"And he [Matthew] left all, rose up, and followed him [Christ]." Matthew was one of Jesus' original twelve disciples. He was a publican, a despised tax collector. Tradition tells us he died by the sword, by decapitation, a missionary martyr in Ethiopia. Such stalwart saints are not swept up in an emotional moment of time in some revival or missions conference. No, this type sits down first and counts the cost.
I call your attention to our text. Notice,the two acts of rising up and following the Master were physical; but the decision to forsake all was an intellectual one. Before any action there was first a mental choice. I personally believe the one great reason so many professing Christians do not follow through is because they never thought it through! This is proven out by the words, "But I never thought it would be like this."
It might be a good thing if some of us would sit down and re-think spiritual decisions we're about to make, those which we have put little or no real thought into. A call to preach, the school you'll attend, the mate you're about to marry, the job you're ready to accept, the place you're moving to. These and other important choices need to be thought and prayed through. It is the wise man or woman who, if need be, stops before they start. For some things you'll never be able recover from once you've started down that road.
Christianity is a serious business, therefore it calls for serious thinking!
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