All through the bible, we find God seeking those who are lost. In Ezekiel 34:16, God spoke to him and said, “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the weak.”
We serve a seeking Savior of those who are lost. In Genesis 3:8-9, we see the seeking nature of God. In the Garden of Eden, we find Adam and Eve playing “Hide and Seek” with our Omnipresent and All-Knowing God. Isn’t it comforting to know that we serve a God with a sense of humor? God spoke to both of them saying, “Where are you?
The story of Zacchaeus is found in the Gospel of Luke 19:1-10. It’s a great paradigm of God seeking the lost. The more you read the story you will find that this story is really about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We see God’s analogy of His plan and purpose for sending His only begotten Son. Jesus came to save sinners like you and I. Jesus meets the sinner. Zacchaeus meets the Savior and then we find that Zacchaeus life was never the same after they had dinner that night.
At the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, an angel appeared proclaiming His birth and purpose. In Matthew 1:21, the angel announced, “Call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The apostle Paul said, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners among whom I am chief.” (I Timothy 1:15)
I John 4:19 say, “We love God because He first loved us.” When you first meet Jesus, He brings you into His marvelous light. You are no longer the same. We see Zacchaeus life changed in the text because he finally saw himself as a sinner. He wanted to make things right for all his past wrongs. We serve a God who says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
There’s a Zacchaeus at your workplace, in your family and in your church. Invite them to meet our Savior and let God do the rest.
Serving the Lord with Gladness,
Deacon Terri McFarlane
servingthelordwithgladness 