Bible Chapter: Luke 19

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Luke 19 starts out with one of the best known Bible stories that children learn in Sunday School. Jesus reached out to a man well-known as a sinner, Zacchaeus.  This man was a swindler who made many suffer.  When Jesus went to his house for a personal visit people reacted negatively.  Jesus shouldn’t hang around with these sinners.  But, this is exactly the kind of person Jesus came to find.  He came to seek and find the lost.  He responded to Divine guidance, a Divine Appointment, because Zacchaeus was ready to believe in Jesus.  Believers must reach out to the undesirable people of the world, as well as the popular.  Anyone without Jesus in their heart is lost.
    As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, He looked over the city from a vantage point coming down from the Mount of Olives and wept deeply at what was going to happen to the city.  He knew that judgement was coming and His heart broke.  Jesus really cares about what will happen to people.  His heart breaks when people reject what God has for them.  When people refuse to repent, they are bringing eternal judgement on themselves.  It was always God’s plan from the beginning that everyone would serve Him.  He wept deeply at the realization that many would reject His great gift.
    One of the first things Jesus did in His public ministry, and one of the last things He did was cleanse the temple of those who were using it for personal and greedy purposes.  His house is to be clean.  He said it is a house of prayer.  God cares that His people are holy.  They are not to use anything spiritual for personal gain.  Nothing must degrade God’s work.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    What is the local church for?  What is my involvement?  Is it only here for when it is convenient and I don’t have anything else to do?  God has given us a house of prayer.  Prayer is foundational to doing God’s work.  The local church is where we gather to worship, learn, have fellowship and encouragement.  It is a very important place.  Believers must work hard to keep it a holy place, as well as a welcoming place where anyone can find the peace they need with Jesus.
    This chapter also gives a good illustration of being a faithful steward of what God has invested in me.  Jesus gave a parable of a king who went away for a time and gave ten servants some money to use while he was gone.  When he returned he required an accounting of what they had done with it.  This story tells us that Jesus expects us to use whatever it is we have responsibly and faithfully for HIS benefit.  The faithful will receive a just reward in eternity.  This reminds me of the importance of maintaining an eternal perspective in all I do here in this temporary place called earth.

3.  How can I help someone?
    One of Zacchaeus’s responses to the call of Jesus in his life was to make a commitment to help those in need.  There are always people who have some kind of need.  I can’t eradicate poverty, but I can help some.  I can also remember the challenge of faithfully using what abilities and resources I have been given and use them for God’s glory.