I recently read a post from Derek Prince where he said, "I grew up in a day when learning was supposed to be hard work. Then a philosophy emerged in education which said, if it's difficult, don't try it. Believe me, both in the natural and physical, there are many things you will never achieve without hard work."
If we ask a question like, what spiritual effort have we made recently to achieve something spiritually? What would be our answer? Here is someone in the Bible who was a sinner but made an effort to get a closer view of Jesus. This is seen in Luke 19:1-9:
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way.
He was short, but he did not allow it to be a barrier to see Jesus. He climbed, he fought against his human condition to see someone much greater than himself. He was a sinner, but he made an effort to be noticed by Jesus. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
Last month, when we went to our church in Chennai, we were thoroughly surprised to see the pastor who raised me from my young age (from my native)was in the room behind the stage. With no plan of ours, God placed us in a row where he could see us directly. At the end of the service, before we could run to meet him, he came running towards us. Similarly, Jesus, all the while, knew his heart that made the effort to seek him, looked up at him, and rewarded him by going to his house.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Verse 5.
How joyful Zacchaeus must have felt when God entered his household. The identity of Zacchaeus changed from someone who forcefully took money to someone who gave back more than he received. None who came to Jesus seeking to meet him left without transformation, without a change of identity.
He changed Saul, the man who caused suffering, to the missionary Paul, a man who endured suffering for Christ. He changed Mary Magdalene, a possessed woman tormented by evil spirits, to the first woman to whom the resurrected Christ revealed himself. The list goes on and on to this day.
May God see our efforts, spot us, and reward us. May we stop wandering on the ground and climb the stairs. May we stop drinking the milk and grow to a stage where we can eat solid food. May we let Jesus know that we want to see him. When we love or care about someone, we make an effort to do things for them.
When I drove 55 km on my bike to see a relative of mine, people there were taken aback at the effort I made. In a way, it changed the dynamics of our relationship. The people of the world are ready to appreciate us for our efforts to meet them. Won't God, the giver of good gifts, do even more?
Dear God,
Help us to train ourselves in godly habits to grow in You. Help us to cut off habits that keep us far away from You. May we be seen by You, and may our efforts be rewarded by You. May we have a new, much more beautiful, and meaningful relationship with You.
In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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