Wee little Man
(NIV) Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 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.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Being raised in church, I have known the story of Zacchaeus from childhood. Being short, I can identify with one who could not see what was happening in a crowd. I understand the desperation that would drive a man to climb a tree, and I am elated when I see the quick response of Zacchaeus to Jesus. Not only was Zacchaeus eager to have Jesus spend time in his home, he was also ready for salvation. And this little man, hated by everyone, immediately repented and offered restitution.
You see, Zacchaeus recognized Jesus not only as Savior, he saw that Jesus was his Lord. And that is the problem, isn’t it? We want Jesus to save us, but many of us do not want Him to direct our lives. When we become intentional in our discipleship, we, too, will be willing to climb a tree, just to get a glimpse of Jesus. We will welcome him into our home and into our hearts and we will turn our life around.
May we, like Zacchaeus, become so desperate in our desire to see Jesus that no obstacle will stand in our way. And if we are part of the crowd eager to point out another’s sin while being blind to our own, open our eyes that we might see—Jesus came to seek and save the lost—that is us, too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
(NIV) The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
When I was a little girl, my mother took my twin and me to the bank. The purpose of the visit was to open accounts for me and my sister. As I handed over my precious possession of a small collection of silver dollars, I was assured my money would be safe. In exchange for my coins, I received a brand new book which contained an accounting of the money that Worthen Bank was holding for me.
Sometime later I returned to the bank to make a withdrawal. To my horror, the teller counted out ten crisp, clean one dollar bills. But where were my coins? Sadly, that was the day I learned a little about the way banks functioned. The cost? My coins were lost to me forever.
In the parable, a woman lost one of 10 coins. We do not know the denomination. We do not know if any sentimental value was attached to the coin. But we do know her coin was restored.
Of course the point of the story is not the loss of the coin, or burning oil, a precious commodity, when the coin would likely have been found in the light of the day. The story is not about loss at all, but instead it is about the rejoicing that accompanies being found.
The extent to which the Father will go to find one lost sinner is beyond our comprehension. He does not wait for us to realize we are lost and begin searching for Him. No, we are far too valuable to be languishing in our sinful state. Instead, our Father seeks, finds and delivers us from all unrighteousness, and when we repent all of heaven rejoices.
May we understand our true value to God and begin to live up to our worth.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hope and Trust
(NRSV) Ps 33:18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
There’s a saying in Arkansas concerning man-made plans—we’ll be there, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise. My brother and his family spent ten hours driving to Florida, only to be turned back after two days due to a late season hurricane. When our plans are thwarted, we may suffer a momentary disappointment, but as verse 21 says, “ Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.”
Have you noticed how closely aligned trusting is with waiting? “Trust” at one time was an integral part of our lexicon. We would say, “ I trust you are feeling well,” or “I trust you had safe travels.” Today we tend to use the word “hope” to express our thoughts and well wishes.
Today’s scripture includes both trust and hope. I am reminded of Elisha asking God for a double portion as Elijah was taken away, and God affirmed it was so by opening up the sea. Sometimes we have to walk through the troubles ahead of us, knowing God walks by our side, and at other times the sea opens up and we walk through on dry land.
May we remember that, regardless of the circumstances, God’s love is steadfast and true. I remember preaching a sermon on the steadfast love of God, and I ended with the statement, “We can never outrun the love of God, or outsin the mercy of God.” David knew this to be true, and I trust you will know it, too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Scriptures Mold Character
(NRSV) Is 40: 30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
(NRSV) Josh 1: 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
(NRSV) Ps 1:1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
(NRSV) 2 Corin 5:17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Ps 27–the entire chapter
Ps 91–the entire chapter
Eph 6(NRSV) 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
As I meditate this morning on some of the Scriptures I return to time after time, I see they are not necessarily the ones I relied on in my youth. I also see there is a theme—wait on the Lord, be strengthened in and by the Lord, and when you have prayed, waited, and been renewed, then stand. Stand firm in your convictions, firm in your faith, firm in your love for God and for others.
I see that Scripture not only helps to form me into who God wants me to be, but it truly is life-giving. When I linger over God’s Word, I know that I am in His presence and the more I am in His presence, the more I want to remain.
May we know the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him (Ps 119:11).
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Persistent Widow
(NIV) Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Don’t you love it when Jesus does not just tell His disciples a parable, but tells them the reason behind the parable? In this story, we are told the lesson is to always pray and not give up.
I learned persistence from an early age. My parents were older and my mother was deaf. She lived in fear that one of her children would get hurt and need her, but that she would be unable to hear their cries for help. So, she kept us close. In order for us to have the freedom to do anything outside of our house, I learned to allow myself two hours of begging, every day, in every situation. Generally, I suppose I wore my mother down and my sister, my brother and I would be allowed to leave.
The judge in the parable, unlike my mother, did not appear to have the purest of motives. In fact, we are told he had no regard for God or for people. It is only when he considered that this woman might turn on him that he relented. But then there is God, and Jesus reminds us that if this judge who is decidedly wicked will grant justice, then how much more will God answer the pleas of His children.
I have lived long enough that I have seen God answer some prayers, while seemingly turn a deaf ear to others.But I know, believe, and understand that when I pray in Jesus’ name, asking for things that will glorify God and coming in agreement with Jesus, that I will be like David in Psalm 27. Remember? In the midst of trouble, David states confidently that he will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.
May we remain so close to our Lord and Savior that we know His heart and pray persistently and consistently for His will.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 