"Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Luke 19:5
So often we find that our God gives us blessings far beyond our expectations. That's the way it was with Zacchaeus, the little man in the sycamore-fig tree. He was a man of questionable reputation and character. But when he heard that Jesus was passing through town, he wanted at least to get a glimpse, and so he climbed the tree to see over the crowds lining the street. Imagine his surprise when Jesus stopped, looked up, and said: "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Not only did Jesus visit, but salvation came to the house of Zacchaeus that day.
Zacchaeus' problem was that his expectations were far too small. He was willing to settle for just a glimpse of Jesus, while the Lord had far greater things in store for him. It wasn't that Zacchaeus was so deserving but that the Savior was so gracious.
Our Lord still invites us today to seek and expect great things from Him. In His loving heart are the greatest gifts imaginable -- forgiveness, hope, life everlasting, as well as all that we need to support our body and life day by day. And we should seek and expect nothing less than what He promises.
PRAYER: Come, Jesus, Friend of sinners, abide with me. Amen.
(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996 (out of print), Concordia Publishing House. For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)
Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 26-27 Ephesians 6
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"