If anyone doubts the power of desire, please suggest that they read the story of Zacchaeus in the Gospel of Luke.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Not just any tax collector, he was a Chief Tax Collector. Hired by the hated Romans to collect the hated taxes, he would often extort even more money from his fellow Jews to line his own pockets.
He was used by the Romans, and rejected by the Jews of Jericho. He wouldn’t be welcome in any house in the city.
Here comes Jesus, walking through the town. He has no plans to stop, he’s just passing through. Suddenly, he decides to stay. Why? Because Jesus knew this small-statured tax collector wanted to meet him.
Zacchaeus wanted to see him so badly, that he’d do anything to make that happen.
So the Chief Tax Collector of Jericho climbs a tree like a ten year old, trying to see the Miracle Worker. His desire has given birth to the
faith
that he will see the Messiah.
Jesus rewards this faith with a call. He tells Zacchaeus to come down from his lofty place in the trees. He also tells him that he is going to stay at his house.
In the face of this man’s desire and faith, Jesus is moved to change his plans. Isn’t that amazing? Just one person’s desire to know him compels him to stay. And not just in the town somewhere, but at his house.
What a comfort this is to anyone who wants a closer relationship to Christ. Zacchaus proves that having the desire and the faith to deepen a connection with the Lord, will result in Christ coming to you. Not only coming, but staying.
Our tax collector responds to Jesus’ invitation by coming down from the tree to face him.
Can’t you just see the
hope
in his face? Knowing that everyone in the town rejects him, will the Famous Teacher really honor him by being his guest? His hope does not disappoint. Jesus is coming to his house.
Standing in the presence of the Lord, his faith and hope fulfilled, Zacchaeus explodes in a joyful burst of
charity
. “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.”
Wow. Now that’s transformation.
If Jesus can change his heart that miraculously, what will he do in you and me? Armed with our faith and hope, the love and grace of God will inspire us to do amazing works of charity. Powerful things. Four times more than we could ever imagine.
If we climb in faith, and answer the call in hope, we will be inspired to selfless charity.
Just as Jesus encountered a Chief Tax Collector and radically changed his life, he will come to me and to you. Get ready for a big change.
We will never be the same.
Love this Ceil!! Zacchaeus’ faith got him a chance encounter with the Savior! Reminds me of the woman with the issue of blood. It was her faith that caught Jesus’ attention, which allowed Him to heal her and make her whole! Oh how I love Him!
Hi Michell! The story of the woman with the blood issue is my favorite. But you are right, both of these incidences show the importance of desire. Without that desire, neither person would have stepped out of their comfort zones to meet Jesus. All good things come from God, and that includes the blessing of desire.
I think we both love him! Have a blessed Wednesday
Ceil
I know this from personal experience, Ceil. He’s still changing lives today.
Hi Linda! He sure is. The power of our faith gives him the permission to enter our lives and change us forever. I pray that I will hang on to my faith, and allow the changes in my life to serve the Lord. How beautiful that you can already witness to this
Happy Wednesday!
Ceil
Dear Ceil
I love your thoughts on Jesus staying in Zacchaeus’ house because of his great desire! When such desire reigns in our hearts it is only because of the prevenient grace of God. This time the house in which Jesus comes to live is our bodies, in the inmost chamber of our hearts!
Blessings XX
Mia
Hi Mia! Remember I told you that I had a post on Zacchaeus? It’s different from your perspective, but there is so much to learn from every single encounter with the Lord. I learned a valuable insight from your writing; I’m glad you liked the idea I went with too.
Peace in Christ,
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
Lovely post, and I know for certain that I could not be the ‘me’ I am today (which is far from perfect and has much to learn, but is vastly different from the ‘me’ that did not know Jesus) if the Lord had not come into my life.
Hi Brenda! What a beautiful statement. And you prove the last line of this post, we will never be the same. The fact that you understand that the Lord is working in your life is a powerful witness to me. Thank you!
Our desire is really a gift from God, to use to get closer and closer to him. I love that. Everything works to bring us to him. And we are always evolving, which lets us hope!
Always so good to see you Brenda,
Ceil
And me believe me..it was a big change! We have lost family and friends due to our beliefs..how sad is that? Our former pastor in Alabama told us to stand tall and firm and in no circumstances are we to bow to pressure. Teach & live by your beliefs..and yes, it is hard knowing that family will not accept Christ. Sorry for rambling..we were just discussing this..as you know..we have family issues..and we just saw our present pastor running (he runs/jogs, lol), he meets us up at the bus stop each Wed morning to wish Liam well..especially this week for finals, lol. What a great pastor!! –Blessings
Hi Linda! You aren’t rambling Linda, and it’s a tough situation. You have undergone such a beautiful transformation, and your nearest and dearest don’t understand that. Or even respect it. That’s hard! It sounds like your Pastor is a great person, and has made a personal connection to your family. What a blessing that is. He is truly being Christ to you.
It’s difficult to keep hope alive in the face of loved ones who don’t see things the way you do. Your faith is very strong, and you can be so happy for that. The Lord gives what we need, and he has given you an unwavering strength to love him. Thank you for your example, it is a powerful witness. I need that!
Maybe you be blessed today,
Ceil
Good Morning, Sunshine!
Ceil, have you ever though of writing a book? The Lord has blessed you with a sweet way of writing down words that hit home with a person. This post was another precious blessing to me especially when you wrote, “Not only coming, but staying.” Our Lord Jesus Christ does stay – He is ALWAYS there!
There are times I have struggled with my relationship with the Lord and I sense God is not as close to me as He was before and I come to realize that God did not move, it was me who was the one that moved away from my Heavenly Father – I hope I wrote that down so that it makes sense
It is such a blessed assurance to know that God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Have a most wonderful day, precious friend.
Hi Dear! You are such an encourager! I have thought about writing a book, and maybe some day I’ll give it a shot.
You know he is always near to you, and I agree with your insight that it’s me that moves, not him. I am trying to remind myself of that daily. I think my prayer should be that I should not wander far from him.
You have a great day too, and thank you for all your helpful links, and blog help with the header. You are a multi-talented young lady
So happy that we are blog-friends.
Ceil
This post definitely reminded me of James 4:8 =)
Hi Natalie! “The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you.” I just love that. And Zacchaeus definitely got nearer, as close as he could possibly come. And look how he was rewarded!
Beautiful Scripture addition here, Natalie. Thank you
Ceil
I love that power of transformation, through Christ, working in the tax collector…and in me.
Hi Mindy! It is amazing, isn’t it? When my heart is ready, God can enter and completely transform me. It is a struggle for me to stay open to that, but I’ll keep trying!
Oh yes, he is working in you for sure, my friend. What a blessing it is.
Peace,
Ceil
Praise God, Ceil! I’m grateful that I accepted Jesus’ invitation to come stay with me…in me and he fulfilled my desire(s). Such a powerful Word! As always, I love your messages. Thanks for sharing!
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for your encouraging comment today. I appreciate it so much.
I am so happy that you accepted the invitation to be with the Lord too! Not as happy as he is, I’m sure. What delights him more than a soul who desires him? He is always there for all of us. We are all blessed indeed.
Have a good Wednesday
Ceil
Ceil, this is precious. Desire, indeed, fuels our faith and our action. May we never underestimate the power of our desire!
Hi Alison! And I hope I have the same desire as Zacchaeus, so I won’t mind looking foolish in that tree, waiting for the Lord. I agree with you, desire does fuel faith and action. So powerful! And even my desire for the Lord comes from him. All of it grace, just waiting for me to say ‘yes’.
Thank you for your visit today. I hope you are doing well.
Ceil
I love this.. I look so forward to the new season of change
Hi Deb! So nice to see you again! I’m so glad you liked the post today.
I agree. Advent is such a precious time. Looking forward and learning to be patient. I love all the rituals and prayer this time of year too.
Have a good evening
Ceil
The Zacchaeus story is one of my favorites, mainly because my little boys used to come home from Sunday School singing “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he! He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see…”
I can still hear their childish voices emphasizing, “Zacchaeus, You come down!! For I’m going to your house today…” What a happy memory! Imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt! You’ve explained it very well here. Thank you for this reminder of how Jesus is still changing lives today! Powerful stuff in this little story.
Hi Pamela! My kids used to sing that song too! I had a cassette (I am dating myself here) that I would play in the car of faith based songs, and Zacchaeus was one of them.
Thank you for your kind comments today Pamela!
It is a powerful story, with so many lessons. I really admire the desire piece. I think if we sharpen our desire, God will pour down that grace
Ceil
Ceil–“He knew you wanted to ‘get it,’ and he gave it!” Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks for your wisdom. Have an awesome Christmas! Love, Diane
Hi Diane! It’s so good to be connected again! I will have a great Christmas at my daughter’s house. She is having her second child next week
Blessings to you always!
Ceil
Just wanted you to know I praying with you for your friend and their family,,plus I’m going to copy and paste your message to Fearless Friday that is on my Facebook page also..((hugs))
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for your prayer ministry. You are a blessing!
Hugs back,
Ceil
So true, Ceil I hadn’t seen the great lesson of hope in this story before! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Pam! I read something that explained the faith/hope/charity aspect in the story of Zacchaeus. It was very enlightening for me. Seems like there are always deeper messages in even the smallest of Scripture passages.
Stay warm Pam, it’s crazy cold here
Ceil
I love this Ceil. I love Zacchaeus… perhaps because I’m very small in stature too (and I can imagine climbing a tree to see the Christ, my redeemer, Emmanuel.
I’m feeling a season of charity in my life right now. God has been blessing me and I keep on giving my blessings to others in need. He works amazing things through us!
Wishing you a blessed day my dear friend.
xoxo
Hi Jennifer! How fun that you feel a kinship with Zacchaeus! And that you are in a position to help others. Such blessings, but that’s only right. It is your birthday after all
May God continue to richly bless you, as you faithfully share what you have with his people.
Praying for a day of love and joy for you!
Ceil
This is so encouraging!! I’ve also been thinking about Saul/Paul who wasn’t even seeking Jesus when he met him on the road to Damascus. What a merciful Savior we have.
Hi Karen! No matter how we come to him, if he wants us, we’ll see him! I love that. And that’s the bonus of desire. Saul may not have thought he wanted to meet The Lord, but he was searching for truth. He sure got it in a dramatic way, didn’t he?
Our God is a God of mercy, and of love and desire for us. We are blessed indeed.
Happy Thursday!
Ceil
Happy Thursday Ceil! Sorry I haven’t been by much. It seems as the Christmas Rush has set in and I have been going non-stop for weeks. I am not much for the “Busyness” this season brings. And, here we go again….. BUSY, BUSY, RUSH, RUSH! Ugh, I dislike very much…..
Change?! Change is very hard for people. Me on the other hand, well I kinda like it. I don’t ever want to stay in my comfort zone for too long. I want what God’s going to give me. Thank you for such an encouraging timely post!
Blessings to You,
Amy
Hi Dear! How fun that you like to stay out of your comfort zone! I failed that test today. I got so nervous today, even though I knew that God would take care of it. Sigh…
I am so glad that you were encouraged here, I love to hear that. I’m rushing a bit myself. Leaving to be with my daughter next week for the delivery of her baby, and I’ll be away for the holidays too. My house was a literal disaster this week. It’s getting better though. God is good
May God bless your preparations, and your family.
Hugs
Ceil
What a wonderful story. It also shows that even some really “bad” people, like Zacchaeus, can, with God’s grace, see the light and change their ways. How marvellous it would be for terrible sinners to suddenly turn to God and change their ways. Paul is another example of this.
Your story gives hope to many who pray for a loved one who has, (temporarily we hope), moved away from God. How many parents cry in despair when they see their children not following the faith.
Thank you Ceil for this touching story full of hope.
God bless.
Hi Victor! Thank you for your encouragement (you always have a way of being that…) I agree about Paul, and you are the second person to be reminded of him from this post. Sure gives me hope that if I can live in that desire to be in line with the Lord, he will give me the grace to do his will.
I am one of those parents who has a loved one who has (temporarily I hope), moved away from God. I pray for a coming home every day. I didn’t think of the connection to Zacchaeus though, thank you! I like that.
Peace to you, my talented friend,
Ceil
I am praying right now for your loved one that one day, in God’s time, and in God’s way, they may return to love the Lord. I respectfully suggest that parents in this position “hand over” such a person to the Lord. A simple prayer will do. Such as “Lord I’ve done my best to raise my family to love you. I now hand (name) to your care knowing full well that you love him/her more than I can ever do”
God bless you and your family Ceil.
What a beautiful prayer. Thank you so much Victor. I am praying it with you in Spirit.
Wonderful post, Ceil.
Thanks always for being so encouraging and thanks for the visit and kind words.
They meant a lot to me.
Wishing you a very Merry and blessed Christmas.
See you in the New Year
Margie xx
Hi Margie! It was so good to see you again, and I hope you feel better soon.
Thank you for the kind words. I’ll see you in 2014 for sure
Hugs,
Ceil
I have experienced and seen some amazing transformations in people who encounter Jesus. I can only imagine what it will feel like to see him in his full glory…wow.
Hi Dee! It is an amazing sight, isn’t it? I hope to be continually renewed in his Spirit, to be changed more and more in my life. And to see Jesus in person…yes ma’am. “Wow” would about cover it.
“Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love him.” Your comment reminded me of that passage in Scripture. If he creates such miracles in us on earth, what will it be like in heaven?
I enjoyed your comment Dee!
Ceil
You are so writing about what’s been in my heart – that Jesus loves the sinner – He came to redeem them, to LOVE. LOVE. LOVE them – because that’s what changes hearts FOR HIM! Thank you for this message,Ceil.
Hi Mary Leigh! Doesn’t our Lord work in mysterious ways…I am so happy that this post spoke to you. Love is the main thing, isn’t it. The greatest of these. And then our hearts explode in charity too.
Have a blessed evening. So good to see you!
Ceil
Beautiful post, Ceil! Oh, how I wish I could share this with certain people I know who NEED to read these words…but they are too stubborn to see or believe in God and all His glory. It’s disheartening to know they will most likely never change because they still haven’t opened up their eyes or their hearts.
Hi Marsha! I have a family member like that myself. If you come back to read this response, check out Victor’s comment and follow-up prayer. It’s really beautiful. He’s so right. We just have to say we’ve done our best, and time to give it over to God (like I should have in the first place!). It is disheartening, because we know how much joy and support we get from our faith. I know I have to keep putting my trust in the Lord every day to help effect the change I’d love to see.
He hears us. I am so touched by your comment Marsha. Thank you for sharing your heart. Its such a pleasure to get to know you better.
Have a good night,
Ceil