Presence

“Be still and know that I am God”. (Psalm 46:10)
Lord, may Your Spirit guide me
to seek Your Loving presence
more and more. For it is there
I find rest and refreshment from
this busy world.

Freedom

By God’s grace I was born to live in freedom,
free to enjoy the pleasures He created for me.
Dear Lord, grant that I may live as You intended,
with complete confidence in Your loving care.

Consciousness

Grant, O Lord, that I may be conscious
and grateful for all the good things you have given to me.
May I share my blessings with others always.

The Word of God

¹He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Inspiration

Zacchaeus was short in stature, but he was a rich tax collector. His limitation became an asset, as in climbing a tree he made himself visible to Jesus, who called him. We pray that our limitations may make us available to you, Lord, in recognising our need of your ministry to us.

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, who desired to meet him. Jesus called him down to earth from his tree and invited himself to his house. Lord, you call us beyond our past, reminding us that today you are bringing salvation to our house.

Conversation

Conversation requires talking and listening.
As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen.
I picture the gentleness in His eyes
and the smile full of love as He gazes on me.
I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares.
I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts.
I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care,
to abandon myself to Him,
knowing that He always wants what is best for me.

Conclusion

I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.

Amen