God Meets Us Where We Are. But!
Luke 19:1-10 (NIV)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man named Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 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 saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
We often hear that God doesn’t wait for us to come to Him but meets us where we are. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he didn’t wait for people to come to him; he met them where they were. He didn’t wait for them to come to the synagogue or temple. He met them at the lakeshore, on the road, on the mountain, in their homes, wherever they were. God continues to meet us today where we are, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in every other way. He will meet us in our chosen place of worship, but he doesn’t wait for us to come there.
But there is a but!
Isn’t there always!
In reading a daily devotional recently, I was reminded of the rest of the story. While God meets us where we are, He doesn’t leave us there. In our scripture today, Jesus met Zacchaeus on the road. Zacchaeus changed not only the way he saw himself and the things he had done, but he also made a change in his life. Matthew left the table where he was collecting taxes. Several of the apostles left their fishing nets. He met Saul on the road to Damascus. There are many more examples both in the Bible and in the world around us.
So, having met God, where is He leading each one of us today? What is He asking each of us to do today? No matter how big or small it seems, if God is asking, it is important. If we don’t respond, who will?
Prayer:
Dear God, help me today to take time to feel your presence and to listen to what you have to say and then to respond in the way that pleases you.
This devotion was written by Alvin Jenkins and read by Cliff McCartney.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
