Romans 3:10

Romans 3:10 - No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. (NLT)

Really? Not even me? Aren't I seeking God? What about pastors, priests, monks?

Well, if you consider what God would probably require to seek him fully, perhaps we're not. I mean, he's an incredible being. Unfathomable. Beyond understanding. I'm fully ready to admit that I'm not wise, but I do try to seek God. And I think that's the point.

When you expand the rest of Romans 3, you see that it's a quote from the Old Testament, when people needed to adhere to the law to attain holiness (although we also know that they were still justified by their faith). Nowadays we can enter his presence because of what Christ has done.

So does it actually still apply? Is it still the case that no-one is seeking God? I know that I enjoy spending time in his presence, and do want to get closer to him, so I do my best to seek him. That doesn't make me holy though, and if I try to consider myself a God-seeker because of what I do, then I am still sorely mistaken. Thank God for Christ.

Mark 3:2

Mark 3:2 - Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus... (NIV)

I think it's a very common thing for people to look for a reason to accuse Jesus. As soon as he enters a conversation, or even someone's thoughts, there's a bit of a challenge there. I suppose this might be different if you are completely in denial of God's existence - but if you're one of the many agnostics who has a pseudo-belief, then the concept of Jesus can be confronting. As a non-Christian, you may find yourself having feelings of guilt, or maybe even of anger.

Mark writes about people who were being confronted by Jesus in a very direct way. He was on earth in physical form, and attracting followers. So for anyone who was determined to not follow him, well, they would've been just like the average non-Christian... wanting to find ways to appease their feelings of guilt and anger - and lashing out.

So why not stop accusing Jesus and listen to him instead? The best way of appeasing your guilt and anger is to be forgiven.

Mark 2:14

Mark 2:14 - ... "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. (NIV)

Jesus clearly had charisma. Let's face it - he knew who he was, and had no doubt about the authority that he had. That kind of thing would make you somewhat charismatic. In this verse he tells the local tax collector to follow him, and Levi does just that. I don't think he did it blindly as I've heard from some people in the past, I imagine he knew Jesus fairly well already. But when Jesus told Levi to follow him, Levi obeyed. He gave up what he knew, and became a follower of Christ.

There are two challenges for me from this verse. Firstly, I want to know the authority that I have. The Bible clearly says that I have authority through Christ, but I need my mind to realise that. And secondly, I want to have the confidence to speak into people's lives. Not in a harsh way, but in the way that Jesus did. I want to be able to tell people to follow Jesus and have them respond.