Daily Devotion, March 14, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Luke 19:1-10.

As Jesus entered Jericho, he was met by a crowd of people. One of them was Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus had troubles. He was the chief tax collector hired by the hated Roman authorities. Zacchaeus was also rich and most likely acquired his wealth through dishonest means. Bottom line: Zacchaeus was not well-liked. He was despised. Yet he was in the crowd to see Jesus. He even climbed a tree to see Jesus.

Climbing a tree would be a highly unusual, foolish, and immodest thing for a rich person to do. But this unusual act got Jesus’ attention and an invitation to share a meal.

Certainly, this would have upset the townspeople, but Jesus saw something in Zacchaeus that only God can see in a person. He saw the man he could be. And Zacchaeus’s transformation was dramatic.

After a simple invitation from Jesus, Zacchaeus offered to return money to anyone he had defrauded and to give half his possessions to the poor.

His salvation came not because he returned a large part of his riches, but because he received the grace and mercy of Jesus—and it changed the way he lived. Faith changes us. Zacchaeus was wealthy, crooked, and greedy. However, his faith in Jesus changed the way he lived his life. Zacchaeus is an example of someone who was willing to get rid of old ways and begin to live the new way of Christ.

Personal Worship Option:

Are you carrying old habits today? Receive Jesus’ invitation today and change an old way of living to live the new way of Christ.