The Everyday Prayer

Re: Verse reading – Luke 19:1-10 (day six) 
When the Bible says that a person is lost, it primarily means “lost to God”.  Lost from the purposes and fellowship of God.  No longer His.  Owned and influenced now by someone else.  Most of us when we use this term (some regard it as archaic and judgmental) think more of the experience than the objective/spiritual reality.  We see it from our side, not Heaven’s.  Lost children or  hikers.  Only Luke tells the story of Zaccheus.  In fact, only Luke tells the story of the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost (prodigal) son.  (Luke 15)  There must have been something about the word/concept that intrigued him.  What a tragedy it is to be lost to God!  Away from His fellowship and wisdom and protection.  To have an opportunity that is wasted/ignored.  It puts salvation in the correct perspective.  “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was LOST.”  v 10.

Re: Verse reading – Luke 19:1-10 (day four) 
I’m sure Zaccheus had no clue what the day held for him.  He was curious.  He had heard about this man Jesus and he wanted to see what all the stir was about.  Zaccheus had a problem…he was short and he could not see over the crowd.  There was certainly no one who was going to yield a vantage point to him, a tax gatherer.  A solution…he would climb a tree to see Jesus.  Zaccheus discovered that climbing was unnecessary though…Jesus was looking for him.  When  Jesus called to Zaccheus, the response was much different than for the rich young ruler.  Both men were very rich.  The ruler left Jesus holding to his wealth, Zaccheus offered to give up his money.  There was a change in his life that was immediately evident!  Zaccheus was born again.  In verse 9, Jesus said “Today salvation has come to this house,”  When Jesus comes into a heart, things are never the same!  The evidence is unmistakable.

Re: Verse reading – Luke 19:1-10 (Day Three)
“Look, Lord! Here and now I give….”  The road not taken by the rich young ruler is the road we find Zacchaeus beginning to travel.  The former wandered down his road sad and still lost; the latter traveled the road to eternal life.  Which road have you refused to walk?

Re: Verse reading – Luke 19:1-10 (day two)
When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”  So what do you think they were expecting Jesus to do?  How long do you think the crowd had been following him? Apparently not long enough to realize the house of a sinner is exactly where he would want to go.  Zacchaeus was the object of most people’s derision due to his occupation and his business practices.  That, however, was not what Jesus was interested in.  Thanks be to God.  How often do we look upon a person based on a preconception of their status or even an assessment of what we actually know of them?  Moreover it also stands to reason that there are those among us that would look upon us with the same misguided criteria of worthy or unworthy.  I’m so grateful that Jesus can look up in a tree and see none of that.  My prayer today is that I look more with His eyes and far less with mine.

Re: Verse reading – Luke 19:1-10 (day one) 
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come  down immediately.  I must stay at your house today.”  (v 5)  It is a term we use often.  A personal relationship with Jesus.  An attempt to define/describe salvation and the friendship we discover in Christ.  Not legal.  Not mechanical or organizational.  Personal.  Intimate.  One-on-one.  It starts with Jesus.  The Zach story reminds me.  Jesus looked up and noticed.  Called him by name.  Noted the real (pride- shattering) spiritual interest.  Wanted to have lunch and a visit.  Individual attention. Personal relationship.  No crowds for Jesus. Individuals. The reason we can have an personal relationship with Christ is that He is willing to have a personal relationship with us.  ” ‘Come, let us reason together’, says the Lord.”  (Isaiah 1:18)  Let us talk and listen to each other.  Let us be real friends, honest.  I want to know you personally.  It is the way people get saved.

Re: Verse reading – Luke 18:18-30 (day seven) 
“You will have treasure in heaven.”  (v 22)  I am reading the autobiography of a wealthy man.  Interesting.  His co-author writes,  “It is a game for him, money is the way he keeps score.”  Not sure that Jesus would discourage this competitive urge.  Very sure that he would point to the importance of gaining “true treasure”.  I have met Christians who have no ambition.  Not for themselves, not for their family or church or nation.  I do not think this honors God.  It is not synonymous with humility.  “If any man ASPIRES to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”  (1 Timothy 3:1)  “He (Paul) was HURRYING to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost.” (Acts 20:16)  Jesus doesn’t criticize the RYR for his ambition.  He redirects it to the pursuit of something eternal.  A lesson here and for us all.  What is your ambition, friend?  Are you aiming for treasure in heaven?

Re: Verse reading – Luke 18:18-30 (day six) 
“One thing you still lack: sell all you have and give it to the poor. . .and come, follow me.”  (v 22)  I cannot imagine that anyone was comfortable.  It was an awkward moment, for sure.  Hard words!  Unpleasant.  Unexpected.  Full of Love.  Jesus was not willing for this young man to stay a stranger to LIFE.  So He gave him a hard assignment.  Sell. Give. Come. Follow.  Not something He said to everyone, because money is not always the issue.  The timeless truth?  In order for the heart to be healed, it must be rid of its idols.  To be saved, our lower hopes and loyalties must be destroyed. “Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand”, says Harvard professor, Ron Heifetz.  “Salvation is hard for rich people”, said Jesus as he watched the young man walk away.  Hard for everybody.  New dreams come only when old ones are disappointed.

Re: Verse reading–Luke 18:18-30 (Day Five)
Ever wonder why Jesus didn’t talk about money or possessions to Nicodemus or Zaccheus (both wealthy and successful)?  Because He knew their hearts.  The kingdom of God is not about money, it is about the heart.

It’s an amazing conversation between the rich young ruler (RYR) and Jesus.  As Jesus addresses the question posed by the RYR (with the scripture), He leaves out one of the commandments.  I suspect the RYR knew the commandments by heart and maybe thought Jesus left out # 10 to cut him some slack.  But Jesus interprets and applies #10 to his circumstances and his (RYR) heart.  Brilliant!!  Beautiful!!  Alarming!!  (That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does now in the heart of the New Testament Believer)

God knows our hearts.  He is aware of our motives, fears, pride, insecurities, failures, and weaknesses.  God is not intimidated by the sin or darkness in our hearts.  He challenges, questions, and confronts it.  God’s design and desire is to have reign and rule over our hearts. Proverbs 4:23.   “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Re: Verse reading – Luke 18:9-17 (day four)
The rich young ruler came to Jesus with a valid question…what must I do to be saved?  Whether he was sincere or not, he needed to know the answer.  Jesus gave him the general answer, but then pinpointed the need in the young man’s life.  He needed to give his entire life to Jesus.  When the rich young ruler heard Jesus’ answer, he was faced with a choice.  We all have them.  When confronted with the truth of Jesus’ response, the young man had to decide if he was willing to pay the price.  Just knowing the answer is not enough.  We must choose whether we will follow Jesus or not.  The pull of the world may be great.  We may have riches, status, authority, or maybe just pride…but we all have to make a choice.  The choice we make in answer to this question is our most important choice in our whole life.  Will you follow Jesus?

Re: Verse reading–Luke 18:18-30 (Day Three)
“Who then can be saved?” This question is a good one as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go very far.  Despite its passive voice, it’s still concerned with the detection of some quality, some attribute of a person that would signal his acceptance by God.  The question looks for its answer among men.  But it won’t find the answer among men, for that is the realm of the impossible.  When we seek God, when we lay down our efforts to impress him, when we ask him to “forgive me, a sinner”, we’ve begun to turn our eyes to the realm where all things become possible.