Thursday, January 19, 2012

Gotta Love the Effect Jesus had on Zacchaeus!

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: Luke 19:8-10 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Observation: It’s hard not to love this story. Zacchaeus has to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus, Jesus calls him by name, tells Zacchaeus to come down from the tree and then Jesus invites himself over for dinner! Zacchaeus himself offers two forms of thanksgiving, first declaring that he will give half of his money to the poor (very generous) and that if he’s defrauded anyone of anything, he will restore it four-fold (nice, but that was what the law in those days required). And then Jesus declares that salvation has come to Zacchaeus’ house today and inserts Zacchaeus into Abraham’s last will and testament. Quite a day!

Application: I think it’s safe to say that Zacchaeus had one incredible day!

Sometimes we have those kinds of days too…days when there is a profound joy in our heart for the opportunities before us. Opportunities to be recognized for who we are and loved. Opportunities to turn over a new leaf, begin a new plan, be led in a new direction.

Our stories might not be as dramatic as the story of Zacchaeus, but they no less noteworthy. It could be:

--the day we see exercise as a blessing rather than a curse
--the day we discover a preference to eat healthy rather than otherwise
--the day we cherish the people with whom we relate rather than take them for granted
--the day we see our work as a calling
--the day we choose to embrace whatever lies ahead in faith (even if that faith is a bit feeble) rather than fear.

In our scramble to get a glimpse of Jesus we just might discover, as was the case with Zacchaeus, that Jesus has already taken notice of us!

And while our actions will never earn us salvation, they can none-the-less serve as daily evidence that salvation has already come to this house!

According to Luke, that’s why Jesus came to earth in the first place… “to seek and save the lost.”

Prayer: Lord, Zachaeus probably had no idea when he woke up that morning how much his life would change in that one day. Help us to give thanks for the opportunities before us, even if we can’t see them yet. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included: Genesis 47-48, Psalm 10, and Luke 19)

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