Consider Zacchaeus. Luke 19.2 says that Zacchaeus was a wealthy
tax collector living for money. He was a
self-proclaimed money monger, but after he had dinner with Jesus Christ,
everything changed. On the other side of
that meal, Zacchaeus declared that he would pay back every dollar, every cent,
that he had stolen and extorted from people, and that he would give half of his
net worth to the poor. Do you have a
hunch regarding the tale he told in future conversations when someone said,
"So, Zacchaeus, what's up with your God thing?"
I can just hear Zacchaeus
now: "I'll tell you what happened
-- it was unbelievable! I fell into a
pattern where my whole life was wrapped up in money. The grip of greed was so strong that I
couldn't break free. It distorted every
relationship I had. But then I met
Jesus. And you know what? Jesus set me free from the tyranny of greed. He taught me how to care -- really care --
about people, particularly the poor.
That's what Jesus did for me -- He unhooked me from unhealthy habits and
got me pointed in a new direction."
You know the questions I'm
going to ask. How many times do you
think Zacchaeus told that particular before-and-after story? Yes, hundreds of times. And in my estimation, sharing our stories of Christ's
impact in our lives doesn't have to be any more complicated that this.
-- Bill Hybels in Just Walk Across the Room
#3235
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your comments about a quote or about this ministry. Please include your name and what state or country you live in. If you do not have a registered profile, you can login using the "Anonymous" tag in the "Comment as:" box below.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.