“I want you!” Maybe you’ve seen that slogan on a poster with Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you, recruiting you to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Uncle Sam was not the first one to express that. Matthew, the apostle, was once a tax collector, known for his cheating ways. Yet to his surprise, Jesus pointed to him one day and basically said, “I want you!” “‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9).

Jesus wanted Matthew to be one of his followers. God would eventually use Matthew to record the life history of the world’s Savior.

But it’s not only Matthew whom our Savior wants as one of his followers. The Bible says that God wants all to be saved and to know the truth. To be wanted (unless it’s by the police) is a great feeling. It boosts our confidence. It enhances our self-esteem. It gives us a sense of worth. 

The ironic thing is that we weren’t “worth” anything to God by nature. Worse yet, we were his enemies. Yet he still said, “I want you.” Perhaps this attitude of God can be best depicted with how we usually picture our loving Lord calling us to follow him. We don’t have a stern old man pointing at us who says, “I WANT YOU”; rather, we have a loving Lord who extends his open arms to us. What else can we do but follow him? What a beautiful thought to be wanted by God.