Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Topic: “Jesus’ Presence Sanctifies Our Lives”
Text: Luke 19:1-10
1. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through the city. 2. And behold, a rich man named Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, was seeking to see who Jesus was; 3. and could not see him because of the crowd, because he was short in stature. 4. And he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree to see him, because he was about to pass that way. 5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today. 6. And Zacchaeus hastened down and received him gladly. 7. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, He has gone to stay with a sinful man. 8. But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said to him, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone, I restore him fourfold.” 9. Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man also is a son of Abraham.” 10. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Let us remember:
The mere presence of Jesus is enough to sanctify a life that is weighed down by corruption. If we let Jesus pass through our lives without stopping him, our lives will not be sanctified. Like Zacchaeus, the rich man, who wanted to see who Jesus was, let us too have this desire to seek to see Jesus throughout our lives. He was the only one mentioned who made more effort to see him. He took the risk of climbing a tree, without fear of falling. When the need to see Jesus is a vital and deep need, the Lord will make himself found because Jeremiah 29:13 says: "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Those who seek Jesus find him when they seek him with all their heart. And those who find Jesus are sanctified by his presence. Zacchaeus was short in stature but his faith was great because he had captivated Jesus. Thus, the request that gnawed at his heart was answered, Jesus lodged in his house and his house was sanctified. If we fail to "gather" Jesus into our lives, let us run forward and by faith climb a sycamore tree to see him better, because he sees all those who lift up their faith. He sanctifies them by his presence because he invites himself into their lives. He who wants the presence of Jesus to sanctify his life, does not concern himself with the murmurs of people. The noise of his surroundings cannot shake his faith because he wants to be sanctified by the presence of Jesus. Let us confess our sins to Jesus so that he may sanctify our lives because he came to seek and save what was lost. Excellent Tuesday. Amen
Alain Louz.-
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