Reading about Zacchaeus this morning. I can remember the song, he climbed up in that sycamore tree to see what he could see. He wanted to see Jesus. Even though the story says he was a tax collector, a notorious sinner, he knew there was something good about Jesus. To what lengths do we go to get a better look at Jesus?? Are we drawn to Him?

When Jesus called to Zacchaeus and told him to come, he immediately came. At that point, something in Zacchaeus changed. He wanted to make his wrongs, right. He said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Zacchaeus had a heart change which resulted in an outward change. Isn’t that the way our lives should look. When we encounter Jesus and come into a relationship with Him we should be changed from the inside out. It should be a noticeable change. The more and more we come to know Jesus, the more and more, we should look different. Jesus is calling each of our names, just as He did Zacchaeus, saying come to me Michelle. Hopefully we will have the same response as Zacchaeus. Jesus wants a welcoming invitation to sit at the table with us. He wants to be invited in so that we can come to really know Him. Sit with Him, talk with Him and come to know Him as our closest friend.

What can we do to go to greater lengths to know Jesus more intimately?

-Spend time with Him daily, the more we spend time with Him the more we understand His ways & know His voice.

-Pray, talk, turn all your problems over. Pour your heart out. If you can’t verbalize it write it out in a prayer (that’s always easier for me).

-Study about Jesus’ life. What did His life look like? As we continue to get to know Jesus more and more the more we are drawn to Him.

Let us be so close to Jesus that when people see us they see Him walking with us.

Ask yourself these questions….

Am I going to great lengths to see Jesus, to know Him more?

Am I drawn to Him, do I thirst for time with Him daily?

Does my life look different than when I didn’t know Jesus? Was there an actual change in me?

It’s easy to get so busy that we loose sight of what’s important. We may need to be like Zacchaeus, climb a tree, get away from the crowd and busyness, to get our sight back on Jesus. Take time with me today as I ask myself these questions.

Michelle