Matthew 1-4

Today's Reading - Matthew 1-4

Wow, it is already October, and we start the New Testament. I always love reading Gospels, the Gospels are Jesus, and each Gospel may tell of the same story, but they are all different as they are told in the eyes and heart of the writer.

Let's get a little background on Matthew before we start. Matthew was written by Matthew, one of Jesus' 12 disciples. Matthew was a tax collector before he began following Jesus, so knowing that he was a tax collector, will help you while you read this book.
I would guess a tax collector would be good with numbers, figures, and details. Matthew tells of a lot of Jesus' teachings. The main goal of Matthew is to make the connection between the Old Testament to the New Testament to prove that Jesus was truly the Messiah. This is why Matthew spent 17 verses tracing back Jesus' genealogy to Abraham.

I am sure that we have heard the story of the birth of Jesus, but Matthew focuses on Joseph's side starting in verse 1:18. Starting in chapter 2 notice the battle between satan and GOD, as satan tried to wipe out Jesus from the beginning.

Matthew 4:18-22 ESV18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter)
and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea,
for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them,
"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers,
James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the
boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and
he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and
their father and followed him.

Just As You Are
As I was reading the verses today, I could not help but to think of the men that Jesus chose. They were not the most religious, in fact some were just the opposite of the religious. Just think, these men that Jesus needed were going to change the world, and He had 3 years to train and release these men.

These men were just like you and I. They had certain personality traits, they had a job or trade that they performed, maybe they liked it, maybe they did not. These were just ordinary men. But, Jesus used them, each different, to help with His work.

When Jesus called each man, He did not ask them to change their personality. He did not come to Peter and say, "I need you, but Peter, you have to tone it down a little bit. You need to be a little more passive". He knew every man's trait and used it to His glory. All that Jesus asked was to simply; follow Him.

Jesus knows you. He knows what you like and dislike. He knows if you like to be in front of people, or stay behind the scenes. He knows if you are outspoken or very quiet. Yes, he knows you better than you do. Now here is the neat thing, Jesus does not ask you to change. He wants you just like you are. He can use you just like you are. Jesus knew Mathew's traits, he knew that he was a details guy. And He used him to write an amazing book of the Bible.

Have you heard Jesus call? If you have, are you trying to change to be someone Jesus could use more effectively? If you know that you do not like to be around people, are you trying to force yourself to be around people? DON'T. Jesus wants you just like you are, and He will use you to do amazing things, just like you are. All you need to do is to heed His call to follow Him, and give Him your entire heart, then hang on, for the ride of your life!!! - Have a Great Day! Jim

Bible Trivia
How many generations were in the line of Jesus?(Read carefully, it is a tricky question)
Hint: Matthew 1:17

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A group of us are starting a church in Ocean Shores, WA. The Connection ChurchWe need and would covet your prayers! Since we have started this, satan has been right there, we have had two people with serious injuries, two families pets had to visit the vet/hospital, and I have had my disease is attacking again. If you would like to commit to prayer for us, please visit our Prayer Page page.