(Read the previous devotion here.)
Matthew 9:2–13
“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:13
All too often, we all fall short and sin. I have never felt like I was worthy of God’s love. I often find myself thinking, how could God call a man who has lived a life the way I have to his table to be a part of his kingdom? What I failed to realize was that through the sin, shame, and guilt that I lived for so many years, God was building me to do his work.
It is very easy to feel like you are not a part of something. I know that coming to church, I never felt I fit in. I viewed the people in church with disdain and resentment, for I believed they were free of the sinful ways in which I had lived my life. I often perceived them as judging me and others harshly. At times, I was right. How many times have I judged another child of God, not based on their soul or actions, but on my perception that comes from a place of fear and ego?
This passage daily reminds me that God wants the people who are sinful and who falter to find him. It is through our Lord that we find freedom from the chains and bonds that hold us down. Do you judge when you should not? This passage teaches us and reminds us that we are to be of maximum service to all of God’s children: you, me, and everyone else on this Earth. It has taught me that through my sins, I am still the one that God seeks.
Prayer:
Dear Father, please help me to call your children that people consider undesirable or sinful. Open my heart so that I may always do your work with love and kindness, with the same compassion you have always shown me.
Paul Herring
