Open Hands

A friend of mine preaches a few times a year and I finally listened to his sermon from June. It was a great sermon about Zacchaeus, a tax collector, and I wanted to share a few thoughts that resonated with me, with the hope you might also relate.

Growing up, the focus through the kid's song was always on him being a "wee little man, a wee little man was he." He climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus, and Jesus went to his house. That was pretty much my recollection of the story.

In this sermon, we were reminded that a tax collector was considered to be an outcast. An outcast would be considered to be poor in spirit. Poor in spirit means understanding our spiritual bankruptcy, understanding that we have nothing to offer to God.

Now at first, I was a little taken aback by the thought that we have nothing to offer God. Of course we do. We have our love, our devotion, our selves to offer. However, I realize that we simply have nothing to offer God that isn't already His. I really liked that perspective of spiritual bankruptcy, everything I am and everything I have is God's. I really do come to Him empty and bankrupt, with nothing.

I also appreciated that Jesus publicly declared that he was going to Zacchaeus's home. He was not concerned that this wasn't on the "approved list" of places to visit. He declared the value of Zacchaeus as a child of God, and simply a sinner like all of us, and yet worthy of hosting Jesus himself. Are we so concerned about our image that we fail to love others?

Another note I jotted down was about approaching God with empty hands. He wants to give to us, but we must be empty before we can run to God and receive anything. We need to let go of our pride, our possessions, our feelings, our misplaced sense of entitlement, our anger, our bitterness, etc. so we can approach with empty hands and an empty heart and be able to receive from God.

Challenge: Do you know Jesus in only a saving way or in a trusting, dependent, joyful way? Do you FULLY trust Him?

I must confess...this has been a challenge for me. I am growing immensely in this area thanks to some amazing friends who lead by example and are not afraid to challenge me. If this is a tricky area for you, I'd love to talk with you and share my story.

This was a fantastic sermon and there are many more noteworthy points. You can follow the link below to enjoy the full sermon and see what resonates with you.

One More Thing...

Are you willing to let go of that one thing so you can approach God with open hands and fully trust Him?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

NOTE: This link may not work, but I'm looking for a new source.

Listen to the full sermon here