Good evening! I have a devotional from Ron Hutchcraft.
The God Who Knows Your Name
I was getting pretty bored with our family fishing vacation in
Minnesota. So my dad decided to take little nine-year-old Ronnie to see
Paul Bunyan, the legendary giant lumberjack. Actually, it's this huge
Paul Bunyan, sitting on a chair with his big ax and Babe the Blue Ox
nearby, and this little log cabin at his feet. My dad went over to the
ticket booth and came back with my ticket, which I eagerly gave to the
ticket taker so I could go in and see big old Paul. As I walked in, I
almost became the youngest heart attack victim in Minnesota history.
Paul Bunyan's big old voice boomed out across the grounds and said,
"Hello, Ronnie." I was blown away! How could I know that this was all a
conspiracy? The ticket booth guy gets the kid's name, relays it to the
little man with a microphone in Paul's log cabin, who then uses that
information to welcome some unsuspecting little guy like me. All I knew
was that big guy knew my name!
The day this God surprised a Jewish tax collector called Zacchaeus
is the subject of our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 19,
beginning with verse 1. "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector
and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man
(I love this guy!) he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead
and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him...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."
OK, surprise #1: Jesus knows me. Not only can He call you by name,
but He knows exactly where you are, no matter how concealed you might
think you are. He knows every dream, every fear, every sin, every
battle, and every wound. And knowing all He knows, He wants to be with
you forever!
Surprise #2: Jesus wants to go with you into your world. Notice,
Jesus said, "Zacchaeus I want to go into your world." Because of his
greed and cheating, people despised this man. But Jesus scandalizes the
town by picking Zacchaeus' place as the place He would go. Jesus stands
ready today, upon your invitation, to go with you into your personal
world, no matter how broken or how shameful, and He will meet you
there, not after you've cleaned yourself up.
Surprise #3: Jesus makes you what you never dreamed you could be.
Zacchaeus ends up a new person, giving half of what he has to the poor
and repaying four times whatever he has stolen from people. He's a
really big man for the first time in his life. When you welcome Jesus
into your life, just as you are, He will make you into a man or woman
you never thought possible. He died on the cross to forgive every sin
of your life and to offer you the power to become a brand new person
inside. But just like Zacchaeus, it starts only when you "welcome Him
gladly."
Maybe you've never really thrown open your life to Jesus even though
you may have been around Him for a long, long time. He's waiting to
move into your life upon your invitation. In a way, He may be (deep in
your heart) calling your name, even as you're listening right now.
Would you grab Him while He's in town? Tell Him, "Jesus, from this day
forward, I'm pinning all my hopes on You. I am Yours." If you want to
be sure you belong to Him; if you'd like to know some of the things the
Bible says about beginning a relationship with Him, let me direct you
to our website. It's YoursForLife.net. Check it out today. Or call toll
free if you'd like the booklet Yours For Life. The number is
877-741-1200.
He's calling your name. Don't miss Him.
© (c) Ronald P. Hutchcraft
Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.