When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
TO PONDER
When was the last time you invited someone around for a meal? Someone you didn’t really know but wanted to get to know. We don’t seem to do that anymore. We used to do it…at least some people did. And they were very good at it. One family from our congregation usually did it every week. Many people had stories of being invited.
We had a whole family baptism recently at LifeWay. Did you think to invite this family around and hear their story? Did you talk with them that Sunday and welcome them into the family of God?
What about at Christmas? Did you wonder if everyone who was at church that morning had a place to go for lunch? Have you ever invited someone home for Christmas Day lunch?
In our text today, Zacchaeus loved what Jesus did. Firstly, Jesus noticed him. And he notices you too. Then Jesus tells him he’s coming to his house. Wow! Is the house neat enough? What would Jesus think of the washing waiting to be folded? It obviously doesn’t bother Zachaeus because he welcomes Jesus gladly. Do you welcome Jesus gladly? Is he a guest at your house every day, or do we sometimes forget he’s there?
Jesus turns up anyway, whether he is welcomed or not. He’d love to be welcomed and included in every conversation. Maybe that’s a 2024 resolution for you.
PRAYER: Hospitable God, thanks for turning up. Thanks for giving us that model of connecting with others. Sometimes we’re not so good at it, so continue to encourage us to give it a go. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
TO PONDER
Have you watched ‘The Chosen’, that free series on the life of Jesus, seen through the ‘chosen’ (the 12 disciples)? If not, I would recommend a viewing of as many series that have been produced (at time of writing, three or four).
The character of Matthew is brilliantly cast. Without giving too much away, his back story is of a tax collector for the Romans, which he does very well. He is focussed on the job at hand, and rarely gets sidetracked. I suspect he would be on the spectrum if he applied for jobs today. It seems like his god is his employment, until he encounters Jesus. The way Matthew records it in his gospel account, he did not hesitate when Jesus called. There is an instant response. There are no questions. There are no 'if's' or 'but's' or 'hang-on's'. People like Matthew work better with routine. They like to know what will happen next. Yet here’s something quite out of the ordinary that will change his life.
Do you hesitate to follow? Are there times when you are not sure if following is a good idea, because many of your friends don’t? Are you sometimes afraid to follow because you don’t know where it might lead?
God knows how you feel. God knows your doubts. And God wants you to know that he’ll be hanging around with you, so you can be confident in following. So you can jump in head first. So you can get up and get active.
PRAYER: Leader of all, forgive us when we have chosen not to follow you. Keep inviting us, even though we sometimes hesitate – so thanks for your patience and persistence. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
Mark 1: 17
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
TO PONDER
Does that verse above seem a bit harsh? Is it a command from Jesus to fish for people? Don’t we have a choice? What about freewill?
It’s not a command. It’s an invitation. The invitation is to follow. The people catching, is the response.
But can’t fishing be smelly? What if there are people I’d rather not connect with? What if I can’t fish? What if it’s hard? What if I cast my line and miss? What if I snag something else? Jesus would say these are all valid questions that he’s heard before, and will hear again, but will continue to invite you to follow. Because he knows, that if you aim high, and miss, you’ll still have sowed the seed. You’ll still have done something, and something is better than nothing. Sometimes the sin, can be doing nothing.
It’s like a certain subject that has been talked about for years and years because the outcome of the vote might cause a division. So be it. At least something will have occurred. At least the seed will have been sown. And it’s not our problem what the result is of sharing the Good News with others, it’s God’s. And God is big enough to handle any answer, rejection or knock-back.
So let’s go fishing!
PRAYER: Help us Lord, to assist you in the fishing department. When it’s tough, or we don’t think we can do it, give us the courage to cast that line, and then the words to say when we begin to haul in the catch. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
TO PONDER
Someday, perhaps sooner than we think, the Lord Jesus whose birth we are celebrating will come again. And when he does, he will not be laid in a manger; he will come on the clouds of heaven in unimaginable glory. When he returns, it will not go unnoticed; it will be announced with trumpet sounds. When he comes again, he will not come as a servant but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When he comes, he will make all things new! The kingdom of heaven will come in all its fullness. When Jesus comes again, God will bring in a new heaven and a new earth for all his children to enjoy with him forever. When Jesus comes again, there will be a voice saying that God’s dwelling place is now among His people.
PRAYER: Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Please come with your new heaven and new earth. And, until you come, help us to serve you while we wait. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
TO PONDER
Scripture tells us that to receive Jesus is to believe in his name. To believe in Jesus' name is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Word become flesh. Others may pass him by, think him a stranger, but believers see his glory. We need to look on the face of Jesus until the conviction becomes rooted in our hearts that we are looking into the human face of the living God. Perhaps this face of God comes most into focus when it wears the crown of thorns. No one can behold his face and live, see his splendour and live, see his sorrow and live. Or perhaps his sorrow is his splendour. Believing is more than seeing. It unites us to the one in whom we believe. It is through this union that we are brought into the family of God.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may we not be guilty of passing you by, or be so distracted by the lights of the world that we miss you. To see you is to love you. We long to see you.
Today's devotion is written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
TO PONDER
Many of us have experienced hard times. And during those times we all hope things will get better. Though financial crises, broken relationships, and terminal illnesses each tell a different story yet they share the same question: “Is there hope?” The answer is a definite yes. Through the resurrection of Jesus, the Lord has turned mourning into gladness and sorrow into joy. This gift has been received through our new birth into a living hope. Christians are privileged to live as God’s new creation. The newness we receive gives us the privilege to hope for even greater things. As strangers in the world, we live for the day of Christ’s return.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of life and hope. Give us strength to face each day, courage to walk your path, and hearts ready to meet Jesus.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
TO PONDER
Some things are easier said than done. Some things look good on paper but don't always work in everyday life. Some Christians teach that when you give your life to Christ, your problems will be solved. Surrender to the Lord's power, and your cravings will be gone. Ask Jesus into your life, and there will be no more lying, no more cheating, no more profanity. Unfortunately, it's not that simple! Putting to death our earthly nature is a lifelong struggle. The only way to win the battle is to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and to make use of the means he provides.
PRAYER: Holy God, help us truly to be people of our word. Help us to do what we promise so that our “yes” is “yes” and our “no” is “no.”
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
TO PONDER
Jesus has freed us from the condemnation that holds humanity captive, so everyone who is in Christ is a now an ex-convict, out of jail and free from condemnation. But of course there is more to salvation than that. An ex-convict doesn’t automatically become a model citizen. There’s still the power and presence of sin in our life day by day. There’s still some of the old self in us that would put us back to jail again. It’s a lot of old prisoners thinking. So how can we overcome the power of sin and rid our lives of its presence? Only by the power of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus.
PRAYER: God of grace, by your Spirit, fill us with new life in Christ so that we may live as believers grafted into him forever.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
TO PONDER
When God's power and grace touch a human heart, a spectacular change happens. It's not some kind of plastic surgery but is a wholesale change. In Christ, a former sinner becomes a brand-new person on the inside. Let us remember that in the very beginning all things were made through Christ. But the original creation became polluted with sin. And now--again through Christ--we can become restored or created anew. In Christ we become reconciled to God. Our relationship with God cannot be reestablished without his Son. And once we are reunited to God, we become Christ's ambassadors. God is making an appeal to others through us. Are you a new creation in Christ? If so, have you tried to invite others to be reconciled to God?
PRAYER: Our heavenly Father, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ! In him we become a new creation. Bless our ministry for your sake as Christ's faithful ambassadors.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping