Luke 19:1-10 (New American Standard Bible)
He entered Jericho and was passing through.2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
I was listening to a new Robin Mark worship CD my son bought me for Christmas and one song particularly moved me deeply. It is called Lost and Found. You can hear it here:
He entered Jericho and was passing through.2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
I was listening to a new Robin Mark worship CD my son bought me for Christmas and one song particularly moved me deeply. It is called Lost and Found. You can hear it here:
It struck me once again how important it is that I never forget the fact that I was horribly lost before I met Jesus. And that I often still get horribly lost.
Grace is only appreciated by those who know that they have a desperate need of it.
I believe the greatest spiritual battle we ever fight is to know or to remember we are lost without Him. None of the ones who stood around Jesus when he looked up into the tree to find a little man needed his grace less than Zaccheus. They all had been or were presently just as lost. The difference is that they did not know it. Or if they had ever had known it they had forgotten it.
It is so easy to forget.....
I am convinced that when we crash and burn if we retrace our steps we will find that somehow.... in the smallest movement of our soul.... we somehow let the thought that we were not as lost as that other person..... and let a creeping tiny judgement that somehow we, like they thought of Zacheus, are not quite as in need of grace as he was.... and soon we become delusional that we are better than others..... like these tax collectors and publicans. Then it is only a matter of time when like a plane that has lost the power of its flight we return to our falling place.
But then in our tragic fall there is a hope given from heaven that somehow if we will understand once again that we are never out of the need of the full grace that was given on the cross we will find it again.
Like Robin Mark once again reminded me we must take as a primary identity of our lives that we are forever "but a lost and found"
I have heard it said and have often said it myself that the ground at the foot of the cross is level. I am no less or more in need of grace than anyone else in my life. When I grumble because Jesus seems to be blessing those who have harmed me I can remember that he gave me grace after I had and still harm others. I can remember the day that Jesus walked into my lostness and took me by that hand once scared with nails to find me. I can once again humble myself and cast away my arrogant pride that makes me believe I have come to a place where I don't really need the grace of that day now as I did then.
No, I am but a lost and found. I will always be. And how grateful I am that it is so.
Knowing that I was lost and am easily lost again keeps me remembering the sweetness of Jesus's life and love, not just for me but for Zacheus as well. In the remembrance of my own lostness I find great compassion and desire to point others to the one who found and is still finding me.
