Session 12

You don’t have to follow rules to follow Jesus

From Matthew: A 28-Day Devotional

Rules. Most people don’t like them.  A lot of people don’t agree with them. Sometimes we have trouble following them but decide to do so anyway for the greater good.

We can read through the Old Testament in books like Leviticus and Numbers to learn about the rules that people had to follow before Jesus came. The complicated and detailed list of rules seem impossible to follow because they were. Lucky for us, a miracle happened since those laws and rules were in place. Jesus came.

And instead of setting lots of requirements to be in His presence, Jesus invites people into relationship with two simple words: “Follow me.” 

There are no rules or shortcuts to make us better in Jesus' eyes. Jesus simply wants us to follow Him with all of our hearts. In Matthew 15:11 and Matthew 15:19, we see how difficult this is. Our hearts naturally incline toward selfishness and sin, but Jesus wants to change our hearts as we grow closer to Him. Only the power of Christ can rid the evil from our hearts and replace it with good. We just have to ask Him to change us.

Reflect:

• What is one thing you need ask Jesus to change about your heart today to become more like Him?
• Has there ever been a time when you asked Jesus into your life? If not, you can find out more about salvation here.