Awareness

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”

Luke 19:5

Dear Friends,

The story of Zacchaeus gives us a great picture of spiritual awareness. Although our Lord was always busy, Christ took a moment to warmly reach out to others. His overarching daily goal was to serve the lost and hurting.

Surrounded by a crowd Jesus stopped and took notice of one particular man perched up in a tree. Zacchaeus was extremely unpopular and must’ve felt rejection from his countrymen on several fronts. He was a corrupt tax collector, sympathized with the Roman government and was somewhat odd because of his extremely short stature.

Upon hearing that Jesus was coming to town he quickly scurried up a tree in hope that somehow Jesus might change his life. Even though Jesus was on a schedule He didn’t just walk on by, but stopped, looked up in the tree and into Zacchaeus’s heart and soul.

In our everyday lives, if we will be aware, we will see that there are people all around us that are “hanging in trees.” They are needy, hurting and searching for answers. But sadly, all too often we are unaware, even oblivious.

Someone once wisely said that we should not look back in anger nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.

Reaching Out Today,

Dr. Tim Pollock, Senior Pastor