Verse: Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Devotion:
What a short, simple, sweet reminder today. Let me give you some context. Just before this verse, Jesus is making His way through Jericho and there was a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, trying to get a glimpse of Him. In their culture, tax collectors were the worst of the worst. They were hated by the people around them because they were traditionally Jewish people who betrayed their Jewish community by working for the Romans to take taxes from their people. Many times, they were dishonest, which is true in the case of Zacchaeus. They took more than necessary and stole money from their neighbors. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, He told him that He was to come to his house today and spend time together.
People began to complain about Jesus taking the company of a sinner such as Zacchaeus. However, Zacchaeus’ heart changed in the presences of Jesus. He pledged to give to the poor and to pay back those he had stolen from. In fact, he said he would not only pay back what he took, but pay them back four times that amount. The words from our verse today are the words of Jesus. It reads: “Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”.
What an incredible story of salvation and redemption, just from being in the presence of Jesus. Here’s two things that stir up in me when I read this passage that I’m going to share with you as food for thought today:
Where did Jesus meet me? Have I had a moment of redemption just from being in the presence of Jesus? If I haven’t, what’s stopping me? If I have, where did He meet me? What sin was I drowning in that He rescued me from? I can spend time praising Him because He saw that I was lost and came to save me. What areas of my life is He still showing up daily and telling me that He is still seeking after my whole heart? Where is He trying to sanctify me and help cleanse sin from my life, that I may be closer to Him? Am I resisting this, or leaning into it?
Let’s reflect on a few more verses about this:
Matthew 15:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 28:19
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Mark 16:15
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek
I could go on and on and on. The Bible is very clear. Once we have met Jesus, he begins his refining work in our heart so that we might become more and more like Him daily. We are meant to reflect His love and His heart for the world. He said that He came to seek and save the lost. He states over and over again that we are to share His Good News with the world, so that others might also meet Him and be saved.
So my question for myself today is, “how am I doing, using my life as mirror to reflect people back to Jesus?” My life is no longer my own. I claim my identity as a daughter of the King. What am I doing to make Him known? How am I pursuing the desires of His heart, to help seek the lost and introduce them to the one that can save them?
Listen… I hope you’re doing better than me. I genuinely do. If, by the off chance, you’re struggling like me, this is not a call to beat yourself up and to be upset. Jesus does not want that for me and He does not want that for you. He meets us exactly where we are. Rather than using this as a bash fest for yourself, use it for what it is: an opportunity to realign yourself with your God given purpose.
Ok, that’s all for now! I know that was a lot to reflect on. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Today, instead of a reflection that we pray through together, I want you to just read my prayer for you and let it settle over you. Let my questions and reflections above guide you in just spending some quiet time with Jesus.
Prayer for you:
Lord, thank you for bringing whoever is reading this to Your Word today. Thank you for seeking after their heart. Jesus, give them the sweet reminder of what it felt like for you to seek them out and save them. Move our hearts to be more and more like you each day God. Please show us how to continually use the opportunities that You bring to us to in order to show the broken world Your love. Amen
Author: Becca Artymenko
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