Every Day with Jesus (27 page)

Luke 19:8

Zaccheus was rich, but Jesus made no demands for him to give away all his goods to the poor as He had with the rich, young ruler. It was obvious Zaccheus had repented and money was no longer his god. Furthermore, he went beyond the requirement of restitution in Mosaic Law by offering to give half of his goods to the poor and to repay fourfold any theft he may have committed.

Zaccheus was a publican, and publicans were hated by their fellow Jews, especially the religious Jews. They were considered the epitome of sinners, and Jewish religious laws prevented devout Jews from keeping company with any publican. To eat with a publican was unthinkable, as that was considered to be partaking of the publican’s sins. This is why the people reacted so adversely to Jesus eating with Zaccheus.

Jesus did not eat at Zaccheus’ house to participate in his sin but to extend mercy and forgiveness to him. This is always the criterion whereby we can judge whether we should be involved in a certain situation. We must not participate in other people’s sins, but the Lord doesn’t want us to retreat from the world either. We are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13), and to do any good we have to get out of the “salt shaker.”

If you can stay right with God in your heart and minister His love to someone, then you are right to associate with sinners. On the other hand, if you find you are being drawn into ungodliness, you need to repent and get back in the Spirit or withdraw. Today be prayerful about all your dealings with those who don’t believe.

September 17: Be Faithful With a Little

Luke 19:12-13

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

Luke 19:12-13

In this parable Jesus told the disciples He was going away, and it would be a long time before He came back to physically rule on the earth. In the meantime, we are His body, and He has given us the authority of His name to occupy until He returns.

The nobleman’s servants were called to give an account for what they had done with their lord’s money while he was away. These servants represent the followers of Jesus, and we can see that is more than simply not rejecting Him; it is an active commitment to serve Him.

One of the ten servants had served himself and not His master. He did nothing with what his lord had given him. This wicked servant was stripped of what he had, and it was given to the servant who had used his lord’s money wisely. This illustrates that the Lord expects us to grow. In fact, in nearly every parable God expects growth or increase.

What was it that this wicked servant didn’t have that caused his master to take back the money he had given him? It was faithfulness. Those who are faithful with what God has given them will be given more, and those who are wasteful, will have what God has given them taken away and given to another.

You are here on earth to occupy, and by “occupy” Jesus meant to use wisely everything God has given to you. Live today in the knowledge that one day Jesus will return, and you will have to give an account of what you did with all the gifts and resources He gave you.

September 18: Relieving Burdens

Luke 19:23

Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

Luke 19:23

The Law of Moses attempted to protect both borrower and lender. In Israel, borrowing and lending was not for big, commercial enterprises but rather to help the poor and needy that lacked everyday necessities. It was an act of love in which the lender actually lifted a burden by helping his fellow Israelite through a crisis. However, they were forbidden to charge usury. The Greek word for usury means primarily “a bringing forth, birth, or an offspring.” It is used metaphorically for the profit received by a lender. Today, we would call it charging interest on a loan.

Although Jesus never condemned interest directly, in general He was hard on the improper attitude toward riches and the oppression of the poor. Making money from someone else’s hardship has never been a godly way of doing business, and Deuteronomy 23:19-20 makes it clear that interest was never to be charged to a fellow Israelite. Today, that would be equivalent to never loaning money with interest to a fellow Christian. Borrowing money is not condemned in Scripture unless you interpret Romans 13:8 as speaking of borrowing: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.”

The Scriptures make it clear that borrowing is not God’s best. Deuteronomy 28:12 lists never having to borrow as a blessing, while Deuteronomy 28:44 lists borrowing as a part of the curse of the law. You can know what to do by simply being led by the Spirit. If He impresses you to relieve another person’s burden, then do it. If He leads you to borrow and pay off the loan over time, you can do so in confidence knowing He is your Source of all happiness and provision.

September 19: What Is Jesus Worth to You?

Mark 14:3-6

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

Mark 14:3

Spikenard was a fragrant plant, and its roots were used in Jesus’ day to make an aromatic, costly perfume and ointment. The plant grows in the Himalaya mountains at an elevation of 11,000 to 17,000 feet. For centuries it was used by Hindus as a medicine and perfume and was an actively traded commodity. Because it had to be transported over six thousand miles to reach Palestine, it sold for as much as four hundred denarii per pound (750 dollars per ounce today). That made it more valuable than gold.

This ointment was worth at least two and one-half times more than the thirty pieces of silver Judas received for betraying the Lord, which is why he was so upset. He didn’t care about the poor. He the treasurer for Jesus, and he wanted the money the perfume would sell for in his bag so he could steal it.

This story also reveals how each person valued Jesus. Judas valued Jesus at thirty pieces of silver, but to Mary, Jesus was worth everything she had to give. She had seen Jesus raise her brother from the dead, and her heart was overflowing with love and worship.

Judas’ reaction to this act of pure worship is typical of the reaction toward worship of many people today. Those who cannot see beyond the monetary or physical realm will be offended by other believers’ displays of worship. True worship comes from the heart and involves total surrender of all we have to our Lord and Savior.

What is Jesus worth to you today? When you answer that question, you will know what is most important on your “to do” list!

September 20: How Big Are You?

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

When I was a teenager, I went to a Golden Gloves boxing match where there were thousands of people. I noticed a bald-headed man close to the ring who looked like he was standing through the entire match. Then he stood up. This man was a giant! I found out he was called the Corn King Giant and was nine feet, six inches tall. I ran down to see if I could get up next to him. My eyes were level with his belt buckle. It was quite an experience.

Goliath was about that size, twice as tall as David. David probably weighed no more than the coat of mail Goliath wore, but he was bigger on the inside than Goliath was on the outside. We, too, often evaluate things only in physical terms. Physically, Goliath was a giant; but in trusting God, he was a dwarf. David was the giant in faith, and that was what won the battle. Anyone who is strong in believing God is a giant in the spiritual realm and able to do great exploits.

We overestimate and over-emphasize the problems that confront us because we forget who we are in Jesus Christ. David was God’s anointed king, but Jesus is the King because He slew the greatest giant mankind has ever faced: sin. Everyone born of God is a spiritual giant with power and authority far greater than anything we encounter from the enemy, the world, or our flesh.

Ask God to open your eyes to who you are in the spirit. You will find that you are a giant who has been intimidated by dwarfs! The truth is that you are as anointed and powerful as David and even more today because you have the Holy Spirit living inside you.

September 21: You Have the Covenant

And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

There were a number of keys to David’s ability to kill Goliath. One of those keys was His knowledge of and faith in God’s covenant with the nation of Israel. The Lord had said that no one would be able to stand before His people. (Deut. 11:25.) Goliath was just a man—and an uncircumcised man at that! This meant he didn’t have a covenant with God. David placed his faith completely in the promises God had given him through the covenant He had made with Israel.

Every one of the Israelite soldiers had that same covenant, but the covenant is of no effect until it’s believed. Hebrews 4:2 says, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” David believed God’s Word and activated His covenant power in his life.

King Saul tried to give David his armor to wear, but he wouldn’t take it. (vv. 38,39.) His trust was in the God of the covenant, not what he wore. And after all, Saul’s armor wasn’t doing him any good. He was hiding along with the rest of the soldiers. David’s faith rested in God alone.

God’s covenant with you is a better covenant based on better promises. (Heb. 8:6.) Through the blood of Jesus you are walking in the victory He has already purchased for you. There’s simply no reason for you to cower before your enemies. You have God’s covenant promises. Activate them by faith today, and watch your giants fall.

September 22: The Convicting Power of a Pure Heart

Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

There was more to Eliab’s anger than believing David had abandoned their father’s sheep to see the battle. Eliab was the oldest son, and he was there when Samuel passed him by and anointed David. (1 Sam. 16:13.) God had chosen his younger brother to be king, so he was jealous of David.

“Only by pride cometh contention” (Prov. 13:10). Eliab’s love for himself caused him to lash out at his younger brother. He was afraid because if David was right, then Eliab was a coward. He had to condemn David’s words, or they would condemn him! This is exactly why the self-righteous religious people were always attacking Jesus. His pure heart of wisdom and compassion put them under conviction all the time.

Purity of heart toward God causes religious persecution. If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps the loudest is the one that got hit. So it is with persecution. Those who protest the loudest are the ones feeling the pressure of the Holy Spirit’s conviction when they hear a believer speak the truth.

Before you can defeat the giants in your life, you must withstand the critical remarks of others—especially your own family. If David hadn’t overcome his older brother’s criticism, he never would have overcome Goliath. If Jesus had compromised to please the religious Jews, He never would have gone to the Cross and defeated sin and death for us.

Understanding that persecution is actually a defensive act of a person under conviction will help you keep your focus and fight the real battles today.

September 23: When No One Is Looking

Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

In Matthew 6:18, Jesus said that what we do in secret God will reward publicly. This was the secret to David’s success with Goliath. David had faith that God would enable him to kill Goliath and win the war because prior to this both a lion and a bear had attacked his father’s sheep, and he had killed them both. No one was around. He wasn’t showing off or trying to act brave. In fact, he could have run and no one would have known! But he chose to stand in faith and believe God.

It was David’s victories over the lion and the bear that gave him the assurance and faith that God would also be with him to conquer Goliath. After all, the nation of Israel was His people—much more precious to God than a few sheep. David learned to trust God when no one was looking so that when they were looking, his faith was strong and established, and he was doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Many people dream of slaying some giant of a problem or doing some great exploit, but they aren’t faithful in life’s everyday trials because they aren’t doing things for God. They are only doing things that will promote themselves. They are waiting for the grandstands to be full before they give it all they have. But those who don’t win the local trials never make it to the Olympics.

David’s faithfulness in the relatively small things was what enabled him to be ruler over much. (Luke 16:10.) Be faithful in the trials you face today, and your faith will be strong and your heart in the right place for when the big tests come your way.

September 24: Make Sure They’re Dead