Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Seeking Jesus
In the book of Luke, there is a story about a man named Zacchaeus. It might be easy to quickly read this story and move on. But I think if we spend some time here, we might discover some key takeaways for our own lives.
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.
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.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
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.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
– Luke 19:1-10
Let’s dig a little into this story…
1 – [Zacchaeus] 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.
This part of the story makes me wonder – do we try this hard to seek Jesus? Do we do everything in our power to spend time with Him and soak up His presence? Do we try to seek His face every day?
I fear that we have many missed opportunities to seek Jesus. We are too distracted or too busy or just plain apathetic. Personally, I don’t want the wonder and awe of the Lord to be lost on me. Every day of our lives we get to have a relationship with the King of kings!
This means we have to make an effort every day to spend time with Him. The enemy might try to plant excuses in our minds about why we don’t have time today. However, I really believe we need to be intentional with our time, despite our feelings.
When we make an effort to be with Jesus, little by little, we will discover a love that is immeasurable. We will find the only One who can love us unconditionally. And we will be amazed by “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” (Eph 3:18)
But even more than that, we will find we have a trustworthy Friend who is with us every moment of every day. We will know that we can rely on the Lord and His strength, no matter what we are facing. What a comfort that brings!
2 – 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.”
Note that during Jesus’ time, tax collectors were generally not liked. And as you can see in this verse, it was implied that Zacchaeus cheated the people. This was the norm for many tax collectors of his day.
But after spending time with Jesus, Zacchaeus was a changed man!
We might spend time with Jesus daily, reading our Bibles, and praying. But do we allow His presence in our lives to change us from the inside out? Or perhaps when we first became Christians did we appear to be on fire for God, but now our devotion has waned?
There are many out there who are just going through the motions of life. They checked off their Christian duties for the day, but they forget about Jesus during the remainder of the day. They grabbed their ticket to heaven, but they live life with worldly pleasure. They are the god of their own lives.
Truly when we become Christians, it is important to learn to fully surrender to the Lord. Seek His face daily. And allow Him to mold us and change us.
Maybe you wonder what is the point? Why can’t I have fun and do things my way?
First, Jesus did so much for us. Our hearts should want to live for Him in return. As I heard a pastor say once, “God owes you nothing. But you owe Him everything.”
Also, God has our best interest in mind. So when we learn to live life with Him as our Lord, we will find peace and joy. And we will save ourselves from a lot of heartache when we place our lives in the hands of the only One who is forever trustworthy and faithful.
We have so many blessings and so much beauty in the world around us. When we give the Lord our whole heart, it will open our eyes to the amazing things God does for us. Every day He is looking out for us, protecting us, and caring for us. I don’t want to forget that or take it for granted.
May we learn to seek Jesus with fervor, every day. And may we allow Him to change us and mold us daily. In the end, we will find true contentment and fulfillment in life.
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
Love what you pointed out here with Zaccheus story. Intensely seeking God, although he knew that he was unpopular among the people, he did not let that stop him or the disadvantage of his height from seeking Jesus. An encouragement for us.
And he had such a change of heart after his time with Jesus. May we too be changed more and more as we walk with the Lord every day. We got to seek the Lord first to have that change come about. And that is why the enemy likes to distract us with numerous things so that our time with the Lord is disrupted.
Enjoyed this Bridget.
Blessings to you my friend 💙
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Manu, I replied to your comment, but I don’t see where it was posted! So let me see if I can remember what I said. 😁
I really appreciate what you pointed out about Zacchaeus being unpopular because this brings another layer to the story. It makes me wonder – do we allow other people’s opinions to keep us from giving Jesus our whole heart? And do we make compromises because of what other people might say or think about us?
I pray we do not allow anyone or anything to stand in our way from being fully devoted to the Lord. And I love what you said about, “May we too be changed more and more as we walk with the Lord every day.” Amen!
Thank you! I always enjoy your insights! Blessings to you too my friend! 🦋
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“May we learn to seek Jesus with fervor, every day.” Hallelujah. Yes, indeed. May we seek the Lord as passionately and with the same fire we once did when we were first saved.
Great post.
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I agree! I pray our hearts overflow with love for the Lord. May we not take for granted what a precious gift we have been given. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
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My pleasure!
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Thank you for sharing this! Overlooked points in Zacchaeus’ story for sure. I hope to be more intentional with my time with God. There’s so many opportunities to spend time with Him.
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I am with you! And two words that you said jumped out at me – we have to be “intentional” with our “opportunities” to spend time with God. Thank you for stopping by, Summer ! 🦋
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I love the quote- “God owes you nothing. But you owe Him everything.” Remembering that we owe Him everything can keep our hearts surrendered to Him daily. Seeking Jesus in all things is important. Thank you Bridget.
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Such a good point. When we keep that perspective in mind, this will help us to keep our eyes fixed in the Lord. Thank you for stopping by, Dawn! 🦋
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Amen! What a great example from Zaccheus’s life..we must want to know Him and seek Him and as we do so He makes it easy to fall in love with Him and want to do good for His glory!!!
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So true! You said that so well. It does start with a “want” in our hearts. This will help lead us in the right direction. And as you said, “He makes it easy to fall in love with Him.” So beautifully said. When we taste and see the Lord’s goodness, we can’t help but want to live each day for Him. Thank you, Alicia! I hope you have a blessed week 🦋
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❤️❤️❤️
Praying your week is blessed as well Bridget!!
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I’m struck by how quickly and tremendously Zaccheus’ life was changed. He went right out to make generous amends for the wrongs he’d committed. Lord, may I live out the life-transformation you’ve provided me and be as quick to amend MY wrongdoing! P.S. Couldn’t help but smile when you used the name for my blog, Bridget: From the Inside Out! : )
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About your blog name – Lol! I didn’t even pick up on that when I wrote it. But maybe your blog was tucked away in my subconscious and that’s where the words came from! And regarding Zacchaeus – I agree with what you said. He did have a quick change of heart after only a short time in Jesus’ presence. I pray we too would allow Jesus to change us this way. Thank you for reading. Have a lovely week. 🦋
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