Expect the UnexpectedPrøve

Picture this, one day, Matthew was sitting in his booth collecting taxes, when a brief encounter with Jesus changed his life forever. Who knows how many years he had worked that job, sitting in a small booth, and who knows how many hours he had been on the job that day. Can you imagine how restraining sitting in a booth for hours, day after day, must have felt? Maybe he was emotionally drained and frustrated. I’m sure that there were often days when many of us would have prayed for God to move us out of our tiny booths and position us for a greater purpose. Matthew 9:9 tells us that “as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” That is what I call THE UNEXPECTED! Matthew didn’t apply to be a disciple but was chosen by Christ while going through his normal routine. He heard Jesus’ call, dropped everything, and followed. It doesn’t get any simpler than that! In the gospel of John, Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." Matthew was chosen, and his acceptance on that day changed his life forever. There were no signs; it was totally UNEXPECTED. Know this fact: you were CHOSEN, APPOINTED, and ASSIGNED TO GO BEAR FRUIT! Who knows what each day will bring for you this year? Be ready to accept God’s UNEXPECTED call!