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Everywhere I turn, I see trials.  It would be a significant list if I just recited the various trials that friends of mine have encountered in the last seven days. I would guess you could create the same kind of list. We all wish for a day, a week, or a month where life was smooth sailing, but life is not like that, and I don’t think it ever will be.  My thoughts for this challenge started with a devotional article that focused on trials. I was furthered challenged in my thinking after reading a very familiar passage of Scripture this past Saturday.

You are no doubt familiar with the story of the feeding of the five thousand from John chapter six. It’s the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels. What a fascinating scene!  Scores of messages have been taught on its significance. However, the events before and after the miraculous feeding are what caused me to reflect a bit deeper on trials. To be perfectly clear, many of the trials we face are from our own making; these kinds are not the purpose of this article.  For all Christ-followers, I would invite you to think for a few moments on the trials that you encounter, but do not create.  I believe they can be looked at as faith-stretchers from the Lord. I submit to you that they probably come regularly, and have a divine purpose. If only we looked at them that way!

Jesus and His disciples were being followed. They crossed the sea and climbed a mountain, yet people pursued them.  When the day was late and Jesus felt the crowd needed feeding, He engaged Philip.

Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
John 6:5b-7

My response to this test would have been very similar. Jesus was testing Philip for a reason, and although it may have been uncomfortable, Philip needed the test. Just like you and I need faith-stretchers today.

Immediately after the miraculous meal, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in a boat and head to the other side of the lake. There is too much in the scene to write about now, but Christ sent the disciples into a storm.

Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!
John 6:18-21

Jesus was right there to meet their needs, as He is for us. Our storms may be different from those the disciples faced, but we are often confronted with troubled waters through no fault of our own.  Can you and I accept that our Sovereign God knows what He is doing in our lives?

I have a very sensitive heart for readers that are facing trials they didn’t create.  God, however, in His sovereignty, has allowed you to live with these troubled waters. It seems to me that God chooses for His children to have regular faith-stretchers … we call them trials. My reading caused me to think about His tests for us and how quickly we can be in a storm.  Rather than give you an answer to trials, I’ll leave you with the words from Laura Story’s great song, Blessings, and pray it offers perspective and comfort.

chorus…

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

 the song’s ending…

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

The words which follow come from one of our Journey onWord readers who has chosen to read the words of Jesus with us this year. He is a trained Bible teacher, and draws from his personal study an insightful picture of Luke 22:45.

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible over and over for years and all of a sudden a phrase jumps out at you that you never really noticed before? This happened to me a couple of weeks ago as I read the final verse (Luke 22:45) in the story of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane.  It’s the verse where Jesus returns from His time of solitary and earnest prayer and finds his disciples sleeping. I have read that verse many times over the years. I have taught that verse. I have heard a host of sermons preached on that verse. But that particular morning, I read the verse as with new eyes and have a new appreciation for what it really says.

You can read the account of Jesus going to the Garden following the Last Supper in the Upper Room in the other gospels, but Luke’s is the only one that uses the phrase, “… He found them sleeping from sorrow” (NKJV). In the NIV it says, “… He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.”

The typical interpretation of this verse is the disciples weren’t aware of what Jesus was going through at the time and therefore did not have a concern, so they fell asleep as they waited. Most sermons then focus attention on Peter, who had just committed to Jesus that he was willing to go to prison or even death with Jesus and yet he couldn’t stay awake when Jesus needed him. The act of sleeping shows the disciples indifference to Jesus’ sufferings and the application is then made that we need to stay awake and accomplish what Jesus wants us to accomplish in our lives.

My new understanding of this verse broadens the picture I have of the disciples. Remember that Luke is a doctor, so he has a better understanding of the human body than the other writers. He says the disciples fell asleep because of their sorrow, or their deep sympathy in His sorrows. Their grief was so great over what Jesus was experiencing, they naturally fell asleep. Doctor’s would verify one of the symptoms of grief is profound sleep.

I have seen with new eyes and learned a new lesson – the disciples weren’t oblivious to Jesus’ suffering and agony, they were actually grieving with Him over it. We know the disciples didn’t understand everything that was going on, but Luke teaches us that what they did understand caused them to sorrow. I believe they just didn’t know how to express it and sleep overtook them.

May we always be open and alert when reading Scripture, not reading as if we already know what it says. We need to read carefully and purposefully in anticipation of what God has to teach us at that particular time.

We should work out more and eat better (more vegetables, less fries).  We should text less and talk to one another more. We should look at our cell phones less and listen to others more intently. We should read more and watch less TV. We should drive the speed limit. We should be on time. We shouldn’t text while driving. We should read the Bible more. We should pray fervently. We should, we should, and we should. But does saying, “we should” mean that there is a better chance that we may not? My firm conviction is that on matters of importance, the words, “we must” carries far more weight than, “we should.”  Believe me when I tell you that the word should is often dominate in my life, but things genuinely change when I must do something. I wonder if you are the same.

As I was reading along in John chapter three yesterday, a verse that was very meaningful in my college years struck a chord with me. For a time, the ministry of John the Baptist overlapped with the ministry of Jesus. A dispute arose and eventually John’s disciples came to him. John 3:25-30 provides the setting:

A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.” John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. (NLT)

Read again what John says in verse thirty. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. I personally grew up reading the King James Version of the Bible and the words were, He must increase, but I must decrease. John didn’t say should, he said must. Just as we battle with other, “I should,” vs. “I must” issues, seeking that Jesus is always, “greater and greater” and we are “less and less,” is also a battle. John was submitted to God’s plan and committed to exalting Jesus. Living this way brings joy, but I fear that most Christ-followers know they should live out John’s words, but struggle with the must of John’s conviction.

In thinking about the incredible depth of John’s words, we have to ask ourselves what it means for Him to become greater and greater while we become less and less. To me, there is a humility that causes us to say, “not my will, but for His glory I give this issue to you.” A heart that says “I must exalt Him,” will have great impact on the world around us. If we should, we probably won’t, if we must … His will is accomplished.

It’s very interesting to me that the word must is used significantly in three verses of John chapter three. “You must be born again,” (verse 7), “so the Son of Man must be lifted up,” (verse 14) and the must we’ve just looked at in verse 30. We would all agree that we must all be born again if salvation is to be ours. We all know that it was a must for Christ to hang on the cross for us. And I think we all can readily accept that His design for His followers then and now is that Jesus must become greater and greater and I must become less and less. Should? No, Must!

It happened over 10 years ago.  Our daughter was home for a summer visit and was parking her car every night in our driveway.  She was out one evening at the home of a friend who was hosting a dinner party.  We knew they would talk and catch up for hours, so we left the lights on, the front door unlocked and went to bed.  At 5:45 the next morning, we were awakened by pounding on the front door.  I jumped out of bed and looked out the window to see who in the world it could be.  What I saw was a police car with lights flashing parked right behind our daughter’s car.  Her window was smashed and glass covered the driveway.  We rushed for the stairs, but instinctively glanced into our daughter’s room as we passed her door. The bed had not been slept in … it was empty.

Have you ever experienced fear?  Of course … we all have.  Have you ever experienced absolute terror?  Mike and I did that summer morning.  Our minds raced and no matter which direction they went, we always arrived at the worst possible scenario as we made our way to the front door.  I remember shaking, feeling as if it was all I could do to remain standing. I was terrified.  Why?  Because we actually thought we may have lost our most cherished possession … our daughter.

What would you say your most cherished possession is?  It’s likely a family member, but there are some who may claim their car, a boat, their diamond ring or dream house!  Sounds kinda shallow, yes?  Now before you start thinking, “I see where she is going with this blog.  What is truly important to me in this world? Yeah, yeah, I get it,” let me tell you that is not where I’m going.  For some reason, when I thought about this story again yesterday, it hit me…

I am somebody’s most cherished possession.

I am God’s most valued and cherished possession.  I am so dear to Him that:

He never leaves me.
He protects me.
He listens to me.
He has great compassion and care for me.
He blesses me beyond my understanding.
He would do anything for me…even to the point of giving His only Son to die for me on the Cross.

As my thoughts began to form for this post and these words began to take shape, I desired a piece of Scripture which clearly spoke the critical truth which had hit me earlier.  My heart landed on a passage that is so familiar, but is also so clear and bold…

For God so loved the world (that’s me and you) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

My story ends like this … The police had been called to a neighbor’s home because their car had been broken into.  As the officer cruised our neighborhood, he saw that our daughter’s car had also been vandalized. He pulled into our driveway needing her to identify all that had been stolen.  And where was our daughter?  She was asleep in the recliner in front of the TV where she had been since she arrived home safely much earlier. That is, until her parents who were screaming her name throughout the house woke her!

Our most cherished possession got the hug of her life that early summer morning, and her mother has a forever vivid illustration and reminder that:

I am somebody’s most cherished possession.

It was an unusual journey that started for me on Friday, September 19^th.  I was already tired on the plane to Chicago before catching a connecting flight that would ultimately arrive in Seattle late that same night.  My phone went dead on the tarmac in Chicago, I was hungry, and there was a terminal change to navigate (bad attitude by then).  For some reason I took a window seat for the four-hour flight to Seattle.  A nice lady and her husband sat on my row in, shall we say, tight quarters.  Everything was great until the lady fell asleep about two hours into the flight with her tray down. I am tall, squirmy, have space issues and eventually had to use the restroom. But she was sleeping so peacefully!  Eventually, we landed and I continued on a rather attention-getting trip.

People often use the phrase, “it’s a small world.”  I understand the idea, but Cleveland to Seattle doesn’t give me visions of a small world. And besides that, I searched the population of the United States using Google and as of today, there are over 318 million residents.  And people say it’s a small world? To me it’s very big, and that is what made my trip all the more unusual.  In Christianity, we often talk about God moments or divine encounters. I don’t want to characterize exactly what God was doing in my life last week except to say that He got my attention.  When we sense God getting our attention, there often needs to be a specific response.  Let me share my encounters!

Saturday afternoon, I sat down for my first convention class and there was one other man already at the table. We engaged in the typical small talk stuff about where we were from.  He eventually told me that he was from the general area that I am from in Ohio, but has resided in the Seattle area for over twenty years. Then he shared that he went to the College of Wooster in Ohio.  I commented on a man who I once hired (still a great friend) that went to the same college (over 40 years ago).  When I shared the name with my new friend, he informed me that he had been in the wedding of that very same man! But it’s not a small world!

The conference was great and my wife eventually joined me. Then on Tuesday, we headed home. It was another long flight from Seattle back to Chicago, and this time I was in the middle seat beside a man reading a financial book.  Being in the same profession, I chatted off and on with him throughout the flight. He had been visiting his dad out west and had connected through Seattle on his way back to Rhode Island. As the flight was winding down, I shared with my second new friend that I had worked for a man who previously worked in the very same financial firm that he currently does. To make a long story short, my friend in Ohio had hired this second new friend in the financial services business over twenty years ago and they have remained friends.  But it’s not a small world!

As you may expect, those two unusual encounters have repeatedly been on my mind this week. What was God telling me? What was His purpose? Quite frankly, I shy away from wanting to over-spiritualize events, but I can’t get over the 2 in 318 million-chance meetings. After reading Scripture this weekend and letting it all sit for a bit, I feel that I must act upon something so unusual.  During one of the encounters, I had a great opportunity to speak about faith and Jesus, but missed it. If God places you and me in aha moments, it’s for a reason. So I have decided that I have to reach out to each of these men with a token of friendship and faith and trust God for the results.

I miss too many moments of great opportunity. You may feel the same way. But I can guarantee you that my spiritual sensitivities are now on high alert. And my simple challenge to you at the beginning of a new week is to not miss the obvious chances to bring light and grace into your world.  Look around for opportunities because, to our Sovereign God, it’s a small world after all.

Do you ever wonder how much value you add to the lives of those around you?  I certainly have. Another question you may have asked is, “Am I doing anything that has eternal significance?” We all want to add value, and as Christ-followers it’s only natural to want to make an eternal impact on others. In that desire, our tendency is to focus on our weaknesses and what we can’t do rather than accepting God’s special design and purpose for us. I am writing this article for anyone who has ever had those, “What can I do?” or “Am I making any difference?” negative thoughts. Place yourself in Edward Kimball’s position and realize that God can take your small gestures for Him and multiply them exponentially.

Edward Kimball was a Sunday school teacher from Boston. I am so excited for you to hear this story that started with his faithfulness. I am not sure where the writing originated, but the content is simply profound.

Edward taught Sunday school at his church because he felt called to invest himself in the lives of young boys and men. To get to know his students better, he would often visit them during the week where they lived or worked. One Sunday, a challenging teenager showed up in his class. The boy was seventeen, a bit rough-hewn, poorly educated, and prone to outbursts of anger and profanity. Edward considered how he might reach this boy, and one day decided to visit him at the shoe store where he worked for his uncle. Kimball passed by the store once, trying to get up the courage to speak to the boy.

What would he say, he wondered, and how would he be received? Finally, he entered and found the boy in the back, wrapping shoes and putting them on the shelves. Edward went to him, put his hand on the young man’s shoulder and mumbled some words about Christ’s love for him. Apparently his timing was just right, because right there in the shoe store, the boy was moved to commit his life to Christ. This teenager’s name was Dwight L. Moody. He grew to become the most successful evangelist of the nineteenth century, preaching to an estimated one hundred million people during his lifetime and traveling perhaps a million miles before the time of radio, television, automobiles, and air travel!

But wait … the story gets better! Moody (in 1879) led a young man named F. B. Meyer to Christ, who later became a minister. Meyer was instrumental in J. W. Chapman’s conversion to Christ, who later started a ministry to professional baseball players. One of the players, Billy Sunday, started working with J. W. Chapman in his evangelistic efforts. Billy Sunday would go on to become, perhaps, the greatest evangelist of the first two decades of the twentieth century.

One of Billy’s revivals (during the 1920’s) in Charlotte, NC was so powerful that one of his associates (who accepted Christ at one of his crusades) was asked to come back a few years later to hold a second series of meetings. And wouldn’t you know it; on one of the final nights of that crusade another young teenager came down the aisle to commit his life to Christ. The young man’s name was Billy Graham!

With one single act of obedience and a few mumbled words, a humble school teacher became God’s instrument to reach untold millions.  Why not you?!  Your story belongs to you and God and does not need to read like Edward Kimball’s to matter for the kingdom.  Be open and sensitive to God’s prompting, and then be obedient.  God can, and will, use you!

The words and warnings are so familiar.  For generations upon generations, people have been certain they were living in the end times … absolutely certain of it.  If you read the headlines from any one of our recent days, it seems a case could be made.  So what do we do with all of it?  I would like to focus on the words of Jesus near the end of Luke 21 in consideration of that question.

The beginning of verse 34 reads the following way in varied translations:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, (NIV)

But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, (ESV)

Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. (NLT)

Is your heart feeling weighed down or dulled?  Can I be honest and say that mine has been.  I needed to read these precious, yet strong words of Jesus.  It is so easy to rationalize being weighed down.  Pick up a newspaper, turn on your TV, browse to a news site … wake up in the morning!  The temptations are seemingly endless these days to be weighed down by the anxieties of life, the cares of this life or the worries of this life.  Whether they are happening somewhere “over there” or within your own family, the problems of this life can absolutely overwhelm us.  This truth is not modern and it is not exclusive to you or me.  These words of Jesus were needed then, and I needed them yesterday and when I woke up this morning.  I wonder if you did too.

So, do I just snap out of it, pick myself up by my bootstraps, stiffen my upper lip and because it’s worth doing, do it myself?  If I was interested in the world’s wisdom and solutions, yes.  But since I’ve learned and seek to live in the truth that I can’t and He can, I’ll choose instead the wisdom and truth of scripture:

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
2 Timothy 1:7 (HCSB)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Be still, and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10a (NLT)

If your heart is feeling weighed down, rest on these truths.  If it is dulled, breathe in their life-giving power.  If we try to process the anxieties of life ourselves, we will live in a perpetual state of “end times.”  If we try to engage the cares of this world with its own wisdom, we will lose hope.  If we try to fight the worries of this life drawing from the well-source of our own power, we will be defeated.   I have been guilty of these lately.  In casting my cares, I’ve too often and too quickly reeled them back in.  I needed these words of Jesus.  If you did too, we are thanking God together!  If you need them now, I am praying to God on your behalf.  Rest and breathe in, my friend … rest and breathe in.

For the last nine months, I (like you) have been reading the words of Jesus and looking at His life. He always made the right choice, spoke the right words and lived well in very difficult situations. His wisdom is perfect, and mine is so (UN) perfect. God’s wisdom is a passion of mine, and something that is sorely lacking in most lives. We’ll never be perfectly wise like Jesus, but there is so much wisdom available to Christ-followers. I believe one of the greatest virtues that can ever be attributed to someone is wisdom.  Proverbs 4:7 gives us a great picture of God’s view of wisdom.

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. (NLT)

If it’s such a big deal, we should all be seeking it! But why don’t we?

What does a man or woman of wisdom look like anyway? When I think of a wise person, my mind goes to someone who doesn’t speak the most or the loudest, but when they do speak, I want to hear every word.  Their thoughts are typically reasoned and balanced. They have a handle on the subject matter being discussed, and an understanding of how to apply their knowledge.  An over-riding definition of wisdom for me is, the mind of God revealed. A person can possess great worldly wisdom and skill in certain areas, but the wisdom that transcends those characteristics is that which looks at life from God’s perspective.

In my wisdom quest, I have been profoundly impacted by Proverbs 16:23, and its implications. As you read the verse, realize the potential that it can have for you.

From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.

For this verse, I also chose the New Living Translation. Other versions use the word heart instead of mind, but I believe the context to be the same. We can look at the heart as the whole inner being. It is the depository of wisdom and the place from where our speech comes. It goes without saying that to gain the perspective of God for all situations we must have a consistent intake of His Word. When we continually deposit the Word, focus on its truth and apply the principles, wise speech will be the result. A wisdom story I wrote about last year still resonates within me today. As you read it, reflect on wisdom personified and think of how you would have responded. Corrie ten Boom tells a fascinating story of her father’s wisdom in her book, The Hiding Place.

As a child, Corrie once traveled with her father by train from their home in Haarlem, the Netherlands to Amsterdam. Her father was a watchmaker and traveled to repair parts for new watches that he had sold. He carried a large, heavy briefcase with his parts and tools. Corrie had seen the word “sex” written somewhere and couldn’t understand what it meant so she questioned her father as they traveled. She asked her father to define the word “sex”. He turned and looked at her, but said nothing. At last he stood, lifted his heavy briefcase from above and put it on the floor. “Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said. “It’s too heavy,” she said.

“Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load.  It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge.  Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it.  For now you must trust me to carry it for you”.

Wow, what wisdom! Corrie’s father was thoughtful and didn’t shun the question, but gave his precious daughter a reasoned, profound answer. We can all learn from his response.  I would bet that he was a man who took in the Word, prayed about life, and applied the truth he knew. And at a critical moment, his words were wise.

We all have choices which constantly confronting us. Life is full of circumstances that easily drain us. I believe God has something to say to each one of our choices and our circumstances. I also sense that while most Christ followers agree that wisdom (the mind of God revealed) is wonderful, very few are seeking it. What about you?

If getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do, seek it!

In the course of every day, and especially in the course of every week, you and I rub shoulders with people who are in need of an encouraging and possibly, life changing word. Undoubtedly, we have walked right by many of those opportunities without speaking the needed word into another life.  Our list of excuses can be long as to why we didn’t: too busy, another appointment, unsure of what to say, the problem was none of our business … any of those sound familiar?  But the fact is, we have felt that gentle nudge and kept right on going without speaking words that were needed.  When I think of how Jesus interacted with others, His timing was perfect, He spoke into lives, He slowed down to care and He met people at their point of need.  Last week as I wrote about Zacchaeus, Christ gave me a great picture of stopping to care when others would not have.  My thoughts today are about sensing the gentle nudge of God’s leading and then acting upon it.

I can illustrate this by a simple story. It came from a book entitled JESUS, Pure and Simple, by Wayne Cordeiro.  My point is: Speak when you sense or see a need and feel His gentle nudge.  Pastor Codeiro leads a large church in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was to lead worship one Wednesday, and decided to stop at a park to practice his guitar. Upon finishing, he began to put his guitar in the case when he noticed a homeless man by him on the bench. His first thought was to head back to the car, but instead he said, “Hey, how are you doing?” And that is where this story began!

I really didn’t want to know because I had a midweek service to do. “Okay,“ he said. “You sounded good on the guitar. I’m just learning the ukulele. Want to play some together?”  My first thought again was to stay on task.  I needed to get back to the church, plus I didn’t want to play with a beginner.  But I glanced at my watch and saw that I could spare a few minutes.

I took out my guitar, and we stumbled through a few songs.  The man started grinning, and that got me to grinning, and the more we played the more we both started to enjoy ourselves.  When the set was finished he asked, “What do you do?”  “I work for God,” I said.” “You work for God… Wow!  What a great job!” he said, “You think He knows about me?”  That began a great conversation about Jesus and about this man’s life—nothing earth shattering, but just enough to introduce the man to the love of Jesus.

The next week I went to the same park again. The man I played with wasn’t there, but at the same bench sat another man. “Hey, I remember you,” he said. “You played guitar with Smitty on the ukulele.” “Oh,” I said, “I never caught his name. Smitty, huh?  Nice man.”

“Do you know he died a few days ago?” I was shocked. “He what? I was just with him!”  “Yeah, a massive heart attack. We all miss him here at the park.”  It wasn’t the midweek service that God had in mind. It was talking to Smitty about Jesus.  Life happened along the way … Eternal life.

I’m not expecting that you or I will minister to a homeless man this week (although we may), but I do know that we will rub shoulders with a lot of people.  And some of those people undoubtedly will need a fresh encouraging word. It may be a word about eternal life, or just help for the journey.  The important thing is that we sense the nudge and speak the words. We won’t do it perfectly like Jesus, but we can do it effectively.

This week, if you feel Him nudging you to stop and speak, do it!

Over 50 years have passed since I became familiar with a little song that still rings a clear tune in my ears and mind.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
to see what he could see.

If you were honored to attend Sunday school as a child, I bet you could hum the tune right along with me.  That little song comes from Luke 19:1-10 and is filled with great drama for the wee little man, Zacchaeus.  On that particular day Jesus came into Jericho, Zacchaeus was curious and made a real effort to see Him. It was a day that would change his life forever, and a day children would sing about centuries later. Hmmm!

Picture the scene for a moment. There was a crowd of people gathered to see Jesus. Zacchaeus had some kind of curiosity to see this man, but was too short to look over the crowd. So what does he do?  Zacchaeus runs ahead of the crowd and climbs a tree!  I have to ask myself, “What would cause a stirring like this in his heart?”  This wasn’t just any person running after Jesus, it was a tax collector. He was rich and, shall we say, not the most popular man in town (in fact, he would likely have been hated by most). I can picture in my mind’s eye people in the crowd not giving Zacchaeus much opportunity to find a good vantage point. So, he climbed up in a sycamore tree, to see what he could see. Hmmm!

What would you and I do if we saw an unpopular man up in a tree?  Probably not what Jesus did!  When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said, “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” (Luke 19:5 NLT) It’s the only time in the four gospels that we find Jesus inviting Himself to someone’s house.  Why would the Savior want to do that? Hmmm!

It’s frankly quite odd to me that this wealthy and powerful (and quite unpopular) government official would do something as childlike as running to see this man Jesus and climbing a tree when he couldn’t see him above the crowd. Seriously!  It also may sound odd to some that Jesus would have initiated a relationship with Zacchaeus.  And finally, it’s fascinating that Christ used the words must and today in stating His desire to be a guest at the wee little man’s home. Once Jesus stated His desire, Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. (Luke 19:6-7 NLT) Christ initiated a meeting, and Zacchaeus responded with great joy. Hmmm!

The scene quickly moves to Zacchaeus’ dramatic declaration of giving half of his possessions to the poor, and stating that if he had cheated anyone out of anything, he would repay it back four times the amount. Wow!  Jesus assessed his words as evidence of saving faith.  Jesus stated that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’ house that day.  Zacchaeus ran and climbed a tree seeking to see Jesus, and met the Savior who was in fact seeking him. Hmmm!

That wee little man who met the Savior gives us a dramatic picture of saving faith. His salvation represents what happens when anyone turns to the Savior’s wonderful offer of salvation … an eternal union and a changed life. The last words of Jesus in this section show incredible love and amazing grace, For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10 NLT)

If you have experienced a changed life through saving faith, share it! If you are not sure of that eternal union with Christ, settle it today! Feel free to write us at journeyonwordwithus@gmail.com  and we will help you.