Jesus Calls Matthew: Why "Follow Me" Means Right Now

Hey, Carpool Crew. Today is gonna be a great one, I know it. I'm Pastor Justin. I hope that today you say yes the first time God nudges you to do the right thing. And guess what? That's exactly what we're talking about today. Here's the one thing for the ride I want you to remember: when Jesus says, 'Follow me,' go right then. So listen to this from Matthew 9:9: 'As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. Follow me, He told him, and he got up and followed Him.' Okay, so picture this. There's a man named Matthew. His job is a tax collector. Now, back then, tax collectors were not popular. They weren't even a little bit liked. The way they made money was by overtaxing and pocketing what they didn't have to give to the government. So here's a quick fact: tax collectors worked for the Romans. They took money from their own people, and a lot of them, yeah, they did charge extra and pocket the difference so that they could get rich. Most people thought tax collectors were cheaters, and most of them were. So picture Matthew sitting in his booth, probably counting money, money from his own neighbors. Probably he's used to people just walking past him with mean looks. And then Jesus walks by. Jesus stops at his booth, looks at him, and says two words: 'Follow me.' That's it. No long speech, no long explanation, no 'Let me tell you about myself first,' no big invitation with balloons and confetti. Just, 'Follow me.' Now, here's the moment. Matthew gets up right then. He leaves the booth. He leaves the money. He leaves that life behind. He doesn't say, 'Hold on, let me think about it.' He doesn't say, 'Let me finish my work first.' He just goes. And his life completely changes. He becomes one of Jesus's 12 disciples. His 12 closest friends. See, if Jesus were sitting with you right now, He might tell you, 'I'm not asking you to be perfect first. I'm not asking you to clean up your life first. We all make mistakes. I'm asking you to come now. Get up. Follow me.' So think about your week. Sometimes Jesus asks you to do something. It might seem small, like apologize to your brother or sister, apologize to a friend, stop watching that video, be honest about what really happened, pray for a friend, be kind to someone you don't usually talk with. You feel that little nudge inside. That's Jesus. He's saying, 'Follow me right here, right now.' And you have a choice. You can wait. You can make excuses. You can put it off. Or you can do what Matthew did. Get started. Go. Now, here's what you could do this week. First, when you feel that nudge, do the right thing. Do it in the next 10 minutes. Like, don't wait. Don't sit on it. Do it. Second, if there's an apology you've been putting off, give it today. Walk over to whoever it is, look them in the eye, which I know takes courage, but you can do it, Carpool Crew. Look them in the eye and apologize. Third, before bed, ask Jesus, 'Is there one thing you've been asking me to do that I keep skipping?' And listen to what Jesus says. And then do that thing tomorrow. Let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember. When Jesus says, 'Follow me,' go right then. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you've been enjoying the podcast, share it with a parent you see at church today or a kid's pastor. We would love to be a resource to your church, no matter where you are. Now, before you go, here's a question to talk about together. Is there something Jesus has been asking you to do that you've been waiting on? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.