Let's look at two sinners Jesus welcomed:
First, Matthew. As a tax collector working for the Romans, he was hated by his own people, the Jews. But Jesus had special plans for him. Because he was skilled in keeping records Jesus not only saved his soul but salvaged his talents. As a result he ended up writing the first of the four Gospels. Do you still think God can't use you? Not a chance. The fact Matthew invited Jesus over to his house for dinner is surprising. The fact Jesus accepted was truly amazing, given the times. They didn't understand why 'This man welcomes sinners.' Second, Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so badly that he climbed up a tree. He was willing to go out on a limb to find God. '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. All the people...began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." But Zacchaeus...said to the Lord..."Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody...I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house"...' (Luke 19:5-9 NIV).
The Bible says that God '...is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him' (Hebrews 11:6 KJV). So be diligent in your search. Be persistent in your quest and relentless in your pilgrimage. Turn away from the puny pursuit of possessions and positions and seek the Lord. You will not be disappointed!
I am still feeling all emotional about yesterday. It is a happy emotional though - so that is all good. I shared on my Facebook page about what an amazing day of healing and forgiveness i had just witnessed.
I got to thinking last night about a comment that a Facebook friend had made. He said that he would keep us in his prayers - that it is when things are going so good that the enemy sticks his oar in. When he said that - i was reminded of something that happened yesterday. We were sitting at the table, having a lovely lunch with T's mum and Dad, and the grandchildren that they had not seen in six years when T's phone went off. It was a random text that made absolutely no sense from someone from his past. He read it, then he passed his phone to me for me to read it. I said nothing and handed the phone back to him. He then put his phone away, without replying and we forgot about the text until we were on our way home.
We talked about it on the way home. The last time he had heard from this woman was a wasted, didn't make any sense text on New Years Eve. We talked about how a wasted text on New Years Eve is kind of normal for most of New Zealand - but a wasted text that didn't make sense at lunchtime in mid February is kind of sad. It wasn't until that Facebook friend of mine made that comment last night that i actually really realised exactly what that text was and what it meant. That text, and it's timing was the enemy trying to stick his oar in.
Quite amazing really - when you think about it.
Anyway - i woke this morning and logged in to Blogger. The first thing that i saw was the latest posts from some of the blogs that i follow which included this post from Keeping Stock. It amazes me how due to our differing experiences and circumstances we can disagree on just about everything - but we have the most important thing in common - knowing just how wonderful God is. Thank you for your prayers INV2.
I am now going to steal the song that you shared!
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