“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.
Good morning, good morning, good morning, my precious brothers and sisters! Our verses today are Luke 19:4-5, “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
In the previous chapter of Luke, a rich man came to Jesus and asked him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus basically says, “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.” Knowing that he couldn’t do that, the man was saddened and left. Jesus didn’t care about the man’s riches. He didn’t need the man’s money to help the poor. He needed the man to love Him and want Him more than any earthly thing. Jesus then says, “It is so hard for a rich person to inherit the kingdom of God, in fact, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
In the next chapter, we find Zacchaeus. He was a small, extremely disliked, wealthy tax collector. Zacchaeus knows that Jesus is coming and wants to see him so badly that he climbs a tree because he can’t see over the crowd. For someone with his status, that would have been considered very inappropriate. But Zacchaeus doesn’t care. He wants Jesus! And Jesus sees him and, knowing his heart, says (paraphrasing), “Not only do I want you to come down, I want to come with you to your home.”
Because this man is a tax collector (similar to mafia men), the people started to grumble. They wondered why Jesus would even want to spend time with him. But it’s people like Zacchaeus who Jesus came to spend time with!!!!
Then we see Zacchaeus make a profession to Christ that he’s going to return the money that he stole from people… with interest. So, yes. It is difficult for rich people to inherit the kingdom of God. But Zacchaeus is proof that it is not impossible. He’s also proof that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a bad person who does bad things or not. What matters is your heart and his heart desired Jesus!
I pray that today we are like Zacchaeus and we climb our trees all the way to the tip-top. Let us strain just to catch a glimpse of Jesus’s magnificence. I pray that your quiet time this morning was wonderful. If you didn’t have quiet time, I pray that you will and that it is filled with the presence of the Lord. I ask God to pour bountiful blessings upon you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I pray that you would go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Once you have, please reach out to me at admin@forgiven-n-loved.com so that I can be in prayer with — and for — you.
And remember, it doesn’t matter how bad you were before. God wants to welcome YOU into His family!!!! Once you have pray that prayer, He washes all of your sins away. Be like Zacchaeus! Climb that tree and look for Jesus!
Have a good day. Luv ya!
