For in Jesus we Live, Move, and Have our Being - Part 633

For what has a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:25-26)

As Jesus passed through Jericho, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the chief among the publicans. Indeed, in societal terms, he was rich. Still, he sought to see Jesus. Zacchaeus wanted to see for himself the Lord who commanded the winds to stop and the seas to calm. But because of his small stature and the crowds that pressed against Jesus, he could not. So Zacchaeus ran and climbed into a sycamore tree.

When Jesus passed by the tree, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down. For today, I must abide at thy house." What do you think Zacchaeus did? The scriptures in Luke 19 state that he indeed "made haste, and came down and received Him joyfully." And when the people saw this, they all murmured saying, "That He [Jesus] was gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner." The people had already judged Zaccheaus to be a man unworthy of the Lord. But Jesus had a different idea. Jesus already knew Zaccheaus' heart -- his innermost thoughts.

Jesus knew that in Zacchaeus' humility, he would say unto the Lord what he had already been doing. That is, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold." This is why Jesus said, "This day has salvation come to this house ... for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:1-10)

For God so loved the world. The same Lord God who created us in the beginning loved us enought to shed His precious blood on the cross for you and I. It is no wonder Zacchaeus made haste. He knew that all the money in the world could never satisfy his desires. That all the riches this world could offer would never provide even a minuscule of the joy that Jesus has in store for those who love Him. Why?

Because Zacchaeus knew that in the beginning, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus gave to each and every one of us life, and breath, and all things. And that He "hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him and find Him, though He be not far away from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:26-28)

Praise Jesus! He came to seek and save those who are lost. Moreover, He inhabits the hearts and souls of those who love Him. Jesus said, "Ye shall never fail" because Jesus never fails. Through it all, He loves us more than we could even begin to think or imagine. He knows our struggles. Our most inner thoughts. That if we would only turn to Him and seek Him as Zacchaeus did, we will receive His blessings. His bountiful supply. In fact, the battle is already won.

The price for our sins was paid once and for all when our Lord God and Saviour -- our heavenly Father -- became as one of us (in the world but not of this world) and shed His precious blood on the cross for you and I. The ultimate sacrifice. And thus, the greatest love story ever told. Learn to trust in Jesus today. Depend upon His Word. Stand firm in His promises. Stand in the offering plate.