01/25/2026
Hello Maple View families! I hope you're all home safe and staying warm. Since our church services for tomorrow have been cancelled, I wanted to share the lesson that we would've been covering this week in Sunday School and Kids Church. Please take the time to go over this story with your kids. :)
This week we're taking a look at the story of a guy whose life turned around in an instant.
You can find this story in Luke 5:27-32.
When Jesus was around 30 years old, he began traveling from town to town, helping those who were sick and hurting. Now, Jesus is God's son and could've easily done this on his own. But instead, he chose to call ordinary people (like fishermen and tax collectors) to help him and learn what it means to love God and live for him.
Enter: Levi. (Better known in the Bible as Matthew). Levi was Jewish, but he worked for the Roman government as a tax collector. In Jesus' day, tax collectors were not well-liked individuals. They often took far more in taxes than what was necessary and kept some of those profits for themselves. Levi was no different. Jesus knew all of this about him and chose to approach him anyway. He told Levi to follow him and Levi agreed! He left behind his tax booth and everything he knew to become one of Jesus' disciples. Levi hosted a banquet (a huge fancy dinner) for Jesus and even invited other tax collectors. The religious leaders at the time caught wind of this and decided to see for themselves what was going on. They were shocked that Jesus and his followers were dining and socializing with these tax collectors! They believed that everyone should stay away from the tax collectors and others who had done wrong things. Jesus heard what they were saying and responded something like this: Healthy people don't need a doctor. Sick people do.
Jesus came to get sinners to turn away from their sins and follow God. The religious leaders saw themselves worthy of God because they follow the law. They thought Levi and his friends were unworthy of God.
No matter your past sins, God just wants his children to follow him and live for him. There are a few ways we can practice doing just that:
- Set aside time every day to hear from God. We can do this by reading his word (the Bible) or listening to stories about God.
- Pray first thing in the morning. Even if it's just to thank God for blessing you with another day and to let him know that you're relying on him to guide your steps.
- Talk about God. You can do this with your family, your friends, or even better: people who you think may not know about God. Tell them who he is, what's so great about him and how much he loves all of his children!
The way to live for God is to give God ALL of yourself. Paul touches on the importance of this in his letter to the Romans. You can find it in Romans 12:1. Every single thing you say or do can be living for God: thanking your mom for breakfast, helping your little sister tie her shoes, choosing not to be rude back when someone has been unkind to you, and even taking care of the body that God gave you.
Living for God doesn't happen by accident. It's a choice that we have to make every single day. And the more you practice it, the easier it becomes.
I pray that each of you have a wonderful week! I can't wait to see you all the next time we're able to gather together. Please message me if you have any questions, needs or prayer requests.
-Rebecca
