JUMP AND RUN!

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Happy July, Superkids! In the United States, we celebrate the freedom we enjoy in our nation. If you are in another nation, I hope your country is free too! Even more so, I hope YOU are FREE! We’ve talked a lot about this over this last year. I pray you are getting freer and freeeeer!

 

One thing that happens to us when we grow freer in Jesus is, we start telling others about Him. Superkid, ask yourself, “Am I ready to tell people about Jesus?” The last thing He told His disciples (His followers) in Mark 16:15 was, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (New Living Translation).

 

If you got a little nervous at the thought, no worries! That’s part of my job as your commander; I stretch you like a rubber band sometimes. What I love about life with Jesus is, He never expects us to do ANYTHING alone, but to allow HIM to do something through us. This is no different. We talked recently about coming to Jesus, and I pray that you’ve been developing this in your life, Superkid. Because this is the key to the bold act of telling someone about Him. I hadn’t thought of it this way before, but today, I was reading in Matthew 9 and I saw something really awesome! Read verse 9 with me from The Passion Translation: “As Jesus left Capernaum he came upon a tax-collecting station, where a traitorous Jew was busy at his work, collecting taxes for the Romans. His name was Matthew. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said to him. Immediately Matthew jumped up and began to follow Jesus.”

 

Think about Matthew—he was a tax collector! Not only did he not know Jesus, tax collectors were considered to be evil cheaters. But when Jesus said, “Follow me,” Matthew JUMPED up right away! Many times, our expectation is way too low about what it means to follow Jesus. We should JUMP at His call, His voice, His leading. Why? Because ADVENTURE is ready to begin!

 

We should be more like a little boy I met many years ago. He came to see me when I was signing autographs at our convention. He could barely see over the table. It looked like he was about to cry when he said in the most hungry, yearning voice, “Commander Kellie, I want adventure soooo bad!” That stuck with me all these years because all he wanted was a life of adventure with Jesus.

 

Matthew must have been ready for that too, because when Jesus came, he jumped! I know you may be like that little boy and want adventure and excitement in your life. The next thing that happened to Matthew, is where life as he knew it was OVER.

 

Later, Jesus went to Matthew’s home to share a meal with him. Many other tax collectors and outcasts of society were invited to eat with Jesus and his disciples” (verse 10, TPT).

 

Think about that, Superkid. Jesus went to hang out with Matthew! This is what happens in our lives when we jump as soon as He calls. He likes to be with people who want to be with Him. Those are the kind of people He called to follow Him (like Peter who JUMPED out of a boat!).

 

Hey! I’m not done with Matthew yet! Look at how he affected his whole group of friends—tax collectors and people no one else wanted. Because Matthew decided to follow Jesus, his friends got to know Him too. And even though they weren’t the popular people, Jesus loved them, and He made their lives better…and more FUN!

 

If you keep reading Matthew 9 (and you should!) you’ll see that Matthew gets to be part of some amazing adventures with Jesus! In just one chapter we see Him do five BIG MIRACLES: He healed a long-term disease, raised a dead girl, opened blind eyes, cast a demon out of someone and made him able to talk. Matthew was there to see it all! He heard Jesus teach the Word and watched Him heal every kind of disease. Isn’t that awesome! Imagine it. But even better is what Matthew gets to see in verses 36-38. I think this is my favorite part: “When he saw the vast crowds of people, Jesus’ heart was deeply moved with compassion, because they seemed weary and helpless, like wandering sheep without a shepherd. He turned to his disciples and said, ‘The harvest is huge and ripe! But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to thrust out many more reapers to harvest his grain!’” (TPT).

 

Matthew got to experience firsthand the WHY of Jesus. He didn’t heal to be a big shot or to be popular or so people would know He was GOD. He didn’t heal people because they deserved it or obeyed all God’s rules. Because Matthew saw Jesus up close and behind the scenes, he could see the LOVE He had for people. Jesus was moved to heal because He saw the people hurting, sick and helpless. He knew they needed a shepherd, and because He loved them, He offered Himself as their shepherd. To be so close that you see His heart, Superkid, is the REAL door to adventure in Jesus.

 

You see, because Matthew JUMPED, he got to RUN with Jesus. Because he got to RUN with Jesus, Matthew got to KNOW Jesus. When you get to KNOW JESUS….

 

OOPS. Out of space! See you next month!

 

STAY TUNED! ♥

Commander Kellie