Dusty

The Joy of Sinners in Jesus


Then Zacchaeus came down quickly. He was happy to have Jesus
in his house. All the people saw this. They began to
complain, "Look at the kind of man Jesus stays with.
Zacchaeus is a sinner!"

-- Luke 19:6-7 (ERV)

THOUGHT:
I'm not sure how those of us who are religious today would react to the
actions of Jesus with sinners if he were among us today. I do know,
however, that many who regard themselves as sinners are still excited
to know they are actually welcomed by Jesus into his grace. Those of us
who have been in Christ a long time need to be re-awakened to the
hunger that many people have for the Lord. Let's help them find him by
looking for those seeking to find him.

__________________

Trials prove a Christian

Love confirms a Christian

But death crowns a Christian

violet

Dusty

Yes and that is a lesson to us that it does not matter as it did not matter to Jesus.... who we are... where we've been what country we come from ... nor the colour of our skin ... we are all precious in His sight.

__________________

Trials prove a Christian

Love confirms a Christian

But death crowns a Christian

Boanerges

We are to be followers of Christ, that is what a Chrsitian is by definition. How many will stop and love on one the more unfortunate? or one who smells bad? One in deep distress? If you want to be like the Master look for the hurting, love the unlovely and lay down your busy life to help somone in need.

Rumely

That song has been burned into my "forever memory." I like that suggestion for the last line. Sadly, I was never taught (or wasn't paying attention ) what it was all about. All I knew is some short guy climbed into a tree and Jesus noticed him. I thought his height was somehow the issue rather than that he, the despised taxgatherer, in his eagerness to see Jesus climbed a tree. And Jesus, knowing his heart was fertile soil for good seed, took notice of him and went to his home and accepted his hospitality. And Zaccheus repented of his ways in response to Jesus and was saved.

Now tell me true, is there anyone who wasn't singing that song in their head when they read Dusty's post?

wingnut

Psalm 14:3 here is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 7:18 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:
Matthew 19:17 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:

All beings, left alone long enough, obey the law of entropy and tend to go from order to disorder. Leave me for a few thousand years, and see how sane I am then.

Only God, and God in us, can halt this natural process of "wandering off" or being consumed by self-interest.

It is not that we are inherently "sinful". Neither are we naturally "good". We just are naturally doing our own thing, and eventually we stray into areas where this opposes God's will - and find ourselves in "sin".

Thank goodness, God cares enough to pull us back to Himself.

Dusty

I guess we can all go back to our SS days. Isn't it amazing how those songs stuck in our head ? And I think of the verse .... Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.

__________________

Trials prove a Christian

Love confirms a Christian

But death crowns a Christian