A Good Life—How to Begin it
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Some people who honestly desire to begin a better life are puzzled about the first steps. They imagine that some intense excitement, either within themselves, or around them in the form of a "revival," may be indispensable. This is a grievous mistake. Many a genuine conversion has been attended by the anguish of a pungent conviction of sin, and the joy of a sudden relief and inlet of peace; but we doubt whether one-half of the sincerest Christians have had precisely this experience. For anyone to wait for such an experience is folly; for anyone to demand it from God is insane presumption.
There is one case of conversion mentioned in the New Testament which affords a beautiful illustration of the right way to begin a good, honest, useful Christian life. The man himself was not a genius, and his spiritual change had nothing dramatic or sensational about it. He belonged to a very odious class—the tax-collectors of Palestine. The average Jew regarded the publican who wrung out of him tribute for Caesar, as very odious. The Jew never paid his tax without a grudge and a growl; if the publican himself were a Jew, he was excluded from the temple and from all social fellowship with his countrymen. Our Lord, in the course of his walk from Capernaum to the country, came across one of these detested publicans sitting at the tax booth—which was not a permanent building—but a shed or arbor by the roadside. The collector of taxes who sat at the booth was a Jew named Levi; he is elsewhere called Matthew—a name which signifies "the gift of God." Jesus was probably no stranger to him, for every well-informed man must already have heard of the wonderful prophet from Nazareth whose words and works were the talk of all Galilee.
Christ approaches the publican kindly, and addresses to him that short, simple sentence which seems to have been his frequent formula of invitation. He just said to Levi, "Follow me." That is precisely what he says to every immortal soul through his Gospel of Love. Christ wanted Matthew—and Matthew needed him. Those two brief, pithy words changed the whole career of the publican; they killed the old covetous self—and gave birth to a new and noble character. We are told that Matthew "left all, rose up, and followed Jesus." There was no outbreak of compunction that we read of; certainly there was no dallying or delay. He saw his duty—and he did it.
Now what did the publican leave? Not his property, for he soon after gave our Lord a hospitable entertainment in his house. He left his old and odious business; he left his spiritual errors and blindness; he left his worldly aim and his wicked heart behind. He found a new calling; he found peace of conscience; he found a field of amazing usefulness (as a disciple and afterwards as an inspired evangelist); he found a Friend; and he found an everlasting inheritance among the crowned ones in the New Jerusalem.
Here is a model for you, my friend, if you are willing to yield to the Holy Spirit, and to begin a new style of acting and living. Can you make a wiser choice than Matthew made? He was a plain, every-day man, busy at his offensive line of work. By no means an extraordinary personage like Saul of Tarsus, and by no means awakened by a lightning-flash like the brilliant and bloody persecutor. He did not wait for a Pentecost, nor for any external pressure of excitement. Neither should you. Under the influence of a strong call from the Lord Jesus himself, he decided. So can you. There was entire free agency. Matthew was moved by the divine love that appealed to him; his reason and conscience were convinced; his heart was in the step when he rose up and followed the divine Teacher from Nazareth.
Nothing but your own stubborn, selfish, sinful will has kept you so long from accepting the precious gift of eternal life. All the surrender that has been required of you—is to give up what is sinful. All the duty that is required of you—is to do what is right. You must abandon your besetting sins—and do so voluntarily. This may cost you some struggle and self-denial, but God will help you through. The publican "rose up" without losing any time, or tampering with the loving invitation. It was now or never. Even so must your acceptance of Christ be prompt, and your obedience be sincere and practical. Matthew did the very first thing that Jesus bade him to do. Are you ready to do as much? If not, you are rejecting Christ, and throwing away all hope of a better, purer, safer, and holier life.
The chief thing, observe, that the publican did—was to follow Jesus. He did not dictate, or mark out a course for himself, or insist on having his own way. He chose to go in Christ's way—and precisely so must it be with you if you would be a Christian in this world, and have the Christian's home in the next world. Christ goes before you—follow him. He gives you his illuminating Word—study and obey it. He offers you a line of usefulness—enter it. If he demands of you a cross, you may so bear it as to make it a crown. Do not linger, I implore you. Death will soon find you, and cut you down in your guilt; your last chance will be gone!
Up to that hour at the toll-booth, Matthew's life was chaff; thenceforth it was precious wheat. Your life without Christ is chaff for the flames of perdition, listen to Jesus; obey him; follow him; and you may open a new life whose golden grain will be a part of the glorious harvest of heaven!
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