Luke 19:3-5
He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
It wasn’t Zacchaeus’ words the Lord noticed but his actions and the heart behind them. The Bible doesn’t record Zacchaeus saying a word, but Jesus hears him loud and clear! It’s this intentional effort that speaks louder than words to our King. Zacchaeus had one mission that day, to see Christ, and he would not be denied. He went above and beyond just to get a glimpse of Christ. Can we say the same?
Are we this intentional with the Lord? Are we willing to put in the effort just to gaze upon Him for a moment, or are we too busy to stop and focus upon our King? Zacchaeus had to run and climb a tree, but we can just run and climb into His arms. And some of the ways we can do that are through daily reading of our Bibles and prayer. But just like Zacchaeus, this will take effort and intentionality. We don’t just wake up one day with a deep and personal prayer life or in-depth study habits, but they are developed through consistent and daily devotional time spent with Him.
Zacchaeus’s willingness to go the extra mile brought Christ closer to him than he ever could have imagined, and the same can be said about us! Will we draw near to Him today? You and I are going to spend our effort, energy, and time somewhere today; we would do well to spend it with the One who gave it all!
Jeremiah 29:13- You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
James 4:8- Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
God bless! I love you all, but His love gave the ultimate effort the day He gave His life on the cross! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Luke 19:7
All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."
And oh, how thankful I am that this is true because if Jesus didn't come for sinners, then we all would be lost without hope in this fallen world! The people in this verse wanted to judge Zacchaeus because he sinned differently than them and his sin was worse in their eyes. But isn't it interesting that in their judgment of his sin, they themselves prove to be sinners as well? As a tax collector, he was a man that extorted people for personal gain - sin. These people were judging and condemning him and judging Christ for going to eat with him- sin.
Both are sinners, yet only one finds salvation in this story, and it isn't the self-righteous ones but the one who opens his heart, his table, and his life to Christ! Christ didn't come to save the saint but the sinner. What a powerful truth we must never forget. None of us was anything more than dead, lost, and defiled before Christ set us free and brought us into Himself.
We can't make the mistake of judging those who sin differently than us. Yes, there are different consequences for our sin, but ultimately the sin of extortion separates us from God just as much as the sin of judging someone else's sin does. Every one of us has a past, and Christ has witnessed every second, yet He still says, “Come to Me, and I will give you rest. I know you and all that you were, but now let me show you all that you are in Me!” Thank You, Jesus, and help us to be more like you today!
Luke 19:8-10- But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
God bless! I love you all, but
His love saw it all and paid it anyway! Glory, honor, and praise now and
forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This verse really speaks to me because for a long time, I didn’t know I was lost. If Jesus hadn’t pursued me, I would still be lost to this day and none the wiser. The way He sought me out was through His people. He used many different people to show me His love, patience, kindness, boldness, strength, and forgiveness. He used His people to speak life into me and show me there was a better way!
I was so lost, I didn’t even know I needed saved or where to begin! Luckily for me, God has some amazing people and they showed me who Jesus was!! People can’t save us – only Jesus Christ can do that – but He uses us to lead people to Him!
If Zacchaeus the tax collector from this story hadn’t heard about who Jesus was, do you think he would have climbed a tree just to get a look at Him? We have to be living examples of who Jesus is!! I can’t live like the devil and talk like Jesus and expect anyone to want any part of that!! Only Jesus can save, and He is looking for you!! let’s share that with the world!!!
I love you all, God bless, and let’s give God all the glory!!!!!
Luke 19:41-42
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - - but now it is hidden from your eyes.”
Last night, my wife and I were reading our one-year Bibles, and this verse jumped out at me. The heart of Christ is so accurately and passionately displayed as He cries over the city and the people who will soon deny and crucify Him! His heart is breaking, and He is weeping not because of the Cross before Him but rather because of all those who will be left behind.
Jesus knows He is the answer to every problem in that city, Jesus knows He is the healing for every hurt in their hearts, Jesus knows that He is the One they have been waiting for, and Jesus knows that most of them will not believe, and even worse than that, they will cast their lot with those who will kill Him! Imagine knowing all this and still weeping for them because you didn’t want to lose one of them! Could you love them that way if you knew what He knew? Can we do that nowadays? We’re called to, but can we do it?
Do we weep for those who deny Christ or who don’t know the Truth? Or do we argue, slander, and oppose those who are still trapped in the darkness? How do we respond when the response we receive from others is contrary to what we believe? We are called to respond in Truth and Love!
One thing the Holy Spirit revealed to me through this is that yes, Jesus' heart broke for these people, and He wept for them, but that didn’t change what He taught them or what He stood for! True love doesn’t compromise truth but tells it with a humble, honest, compassionate heart! Jesus didn’t waiver in His teachings in order to save them. He actually did the exact opposite. He told them the truth (which was hard for them to receive at times) in the hope that they would turn and be saved! We are called to do the same! Don’t let feelings get in the way of faith and allow you to waiver on the Word of God!
1 Timothy 4:16 - Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
This is a command with a promise!
God bless! I love you all! Glory, Honor, and Praise forever to God Almighty, King Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!
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