“It's time to leave the house,” I said to my toddler as he was playing with his toys scattered across the playroom floor. As I instructed him to go towards the garage door and get his shoes on, he waddled slowly with toys spilling out of his hands. He had a mountain full of “things” he planned on taking with him for our simple trip to the store.

As toys dropped one by one to the floor, I looked at him, smiled, and told him, “Son, put those toys back, you don’t need to bring them in the car for where we are going.”

Jesus used similar words when He called Matthew to be His disciple. Luke 5:27-28 says that when Jesus called Levi (Matthew) the tax collector to be a disciple, Levi responded by leaving everything behind.

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. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. (NLT)

Levi (Matthew) the tax collector knew the value of money, and most likely, because of his profession, he had accumulated some wealth. But when Jesus called him, he left everything behind.

When I reflect on this passage, I’m overcome with the realization of how much I’m carrying with me in my journey with the Lord. Have I abandoned all to follow Him? Would I lay down anything and everything to follow Him fully?

Jesus not only called Levi (Matthew) the tax collector to abandon all, but this call of complete surrender is for you and me today. We can take heart in knowing when we make Christ the cornerstone of our life, we will inherit much more in eternal life than anything we might give up in our earthly life. Is this a costly surrender? Absolutely. But the reward for following Jesus will always be greater. Jesus states this in Matthew 19:29, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.”

May we not gain the wealth, possessions, or titles of this world only to lose our soul in the process (Mark 8:36). May we desire to live a life fully sold-out to Jesus, counting the cost (Luke 14:28), and responding with full surrender to His call.

What does that look like for you and me today? Maybe that’s letting go of what is in our hands that is keeping us from full surrender. Just as I encouraged my son to leave his toys, maybe today Christ is calling you and me to surrender the “childish things” we are holding onto, and follow Him openhandedly, with nothing hindering us. Whatever that looks like for you and me, may the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts today and give us the strength to lay everything at the foot of the cross.

When I think of this type of surrender to Christ, I am reminded of the truth from this beautiful hymn. As we worship our Lord and Savior and declare that we have decided to follow Jesus, may we follow Him with full abandon—with no turning back, may we fully surrender to Him.

I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back; no turning back.

If no one joins me, still I will follow;
No turning back; no turning back.

The cross before me, the world behind me;
No turning back, no turning back.

~

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.