When it comes to being fully committed to Christ, many believe they are not qualified to be used by Him. They believe that their past disqualifies them or that they do not have the right skill set to be His fully devoted followers. These beliefs are lies from the enemy. Scripture makes it very clear that God will call and use anyone, regardless of their past or skill set. This truth was made abundantly clear during Jesus' ministry on earth.
Jesus proved that His call to follow Him is for anyone, regardless of qualifications or past mistakes, when He called His first disciples. Some of the first disciples Jesus called in Luke 5 were fishermen. Before Jesus called them, He told them to cast their nets in order to catch fish. They told Him that they had been fishing but could not catch anything, but they would still obey and let down their nets. When they did, they caught more fish than they could imagine. Realizing the miracle Jesus had done, they were amazed. One of these fishermen, Simon Peter, said to Jesus, "Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man” (verse 8). Peter did not believe He deserved to be in Jesus’ presence because of his past. Jesus, however, was not dismayed by his past. “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people," was His response (verse 11). Peter was just the man Jesus wanted to follow Him. Jesus developed a reputation for spending time around people whom the world considered "too sinful" or unqualified. The religious leaders observed Jesus having meals and associating with tax collectors and other sinners and questioned His association with them. Jesus responded by saying, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent (verses 31-32). Jesus was indicating that those whom the world views as "too far gone" or who are unqualified are precisely those whom He wants to follow Him.
My friend, no person is too far gone to follow Jesus. Your mistakes do not disqualify you. Your lack of abilities does not disqualify you. Jesus came to earth, died, and rose from the grave so that we all would have an opportunity to say "yes" to following Him. He will use us if we are willing to be used by Him and follow Him.
Have you held on to the belief that your past sin has disqualified you from following Jesus? Maybe you have felt unequipped to follow Him fully. Turn to God today. Confess that you have held back from fully following Him because you did not feel qualified. Ask Him to give you the confidence to fully follow Him, sharing your faith with the people around you and making Him known wherever you go.
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”
34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”
