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Level Playing Field

 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Engage in business until I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.' And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' He said to him, 'I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'

Luke 19:11-23 (ESV)
 
God wants us to be responsible with what He has entrusted us, not with what others have been entrusted. I am thankful that this makes it a level playing field.

Unhealthy Thinkers

 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Luke 19:8 - 10
 
Change is inevitable to those who change. Repentance starts in the mind then moves to the lifestyle. We can act out of sync with our thoughts, yet we live frustrating lives when we do.
In time, we tire of being frustrated, and we often change our thoughts to go with our actions.
Yet, our actions were never meant to drive our thoughts, so we live in this perpetual cycle of dysfunction.
 
Zacchaeus sought God, repented, and began to get his life in line with his new thoughts. He is an example of how healthy people think.
 
The unhealthy thinkers were still reeling with the idea that Zacchaeus got the privilege of hosting Jesus. Perhaps Jesus chose Zacchaeus because he was the healthiest thinker of them all.

Grumbling is not a fruit of the Spirit

 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."

Luke 19:7 (ESV)
 
When God is not about me the way I want Him about me, I grumble. I sometimes do more than grumble. I outright complain, and may even doubt God's existence and love.
 
Imagine doubting someone's very existence because they do not act per your expectations. Imagine getting angry with someone because they have given attention to someone else over yourself.
 
We seem to be slow learners in that we struggle with the same issues today as we did hundreds of years ago. We want God to be about us when we should be about Him. We want our "religion" to make us unique rather than our repentance. We like to focus on us when we should be focusing on Him.
 
Religious people are grumpy people because their focus keeps life out of focus, and causes them to run into all sorts of obstacles that clarity would have avoided. Grumbling and discontent are not fruits of the Spirit and indicate wrong focus and thinking. Perhaps there is still time to make things right.
 
 

Convinced

 

And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Luke 19:7 (ESV)   We do not see ourselves as sinful wretches or depraved, and therefore cannot be awed by God's mercy and grace. We have all sinned, we are all depraved, and the religious may be the most disadvantaged of all because of their habit of comparing themselves to others rather than perfection.   The world is not a fair place, except for making things right with God. All people find their way to God through Jesus Christ.   Tragedy awaits those who choose to be blind and deaf while being able to see and hear.   If we are not impressed by God's mercy, grace, and presence, we have not been convinced of our sin's reality and due penalty. Seeing our depravity places us in a position where we see our value to the Almighty. Since our value has nothing to do with position, power, or status. We are empowered to live fulfilling and satisfying lives regardless of our circumstances.   For now, the choice is ours.

Wanting to know….

 

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when 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." Luke 19:1-5 (ESV)   The passage goes from a physically blind man who sought Jesus to a spiritually blind man seeking Jesus. Zacchaeus was a hated man, yet it seemed his loneliness and curiosity got the best of him, and he did what he needed to do to position himself to see Jesus.   There were many reasons or excuses Zacchaeus could have used to stay away from Jesus. Those that hated him, most likely, became enraged by the fact that Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house because they could not imagine Jesus visiting with such a sinful person.   Jesus goes where He is invited and welcomed. Jesus spends time with anyone who seeks Him and wants to know who He is.   Zacchaeus did not think that Jesus would acknowledge him, yet he wanted to see and know who this man was, so he made an effort. Perhaps the others were hoping to use Jesus to build their status or perform some miracle for them. For them, the day was disappointing.   Jesus has now talked about blind men finding Him and sinners finding Him. I guess the only people who cannot see Jesus do not want to find Him. In which category are you?

Seek God, Find God

 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recover my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well."

Luke 18:40-42 (ESV)
 
Those who seek God find God. Those waiting for God to find them are waiting in vain, for God is everywhere; He is not hiding, but is easy to see.
Blind people can find God because there is no barrier to finding Him.
Excuses and victimization keep us from Him, whereas hopelessness and a humble spirit drive us to Him.
It is easy to seek and be distracted by the things of this world, and neglect that which is essential. It is easy to act as if we are not in control of our own decisions in life, yet we are.
There is no good reason to ignore God, making all our "reasons" excuses.
Decide today what is important, and make it your priority to do what is important. The unimportant can wait, or perhaps never be accomplished, and you will have no regrets in the end.
 

Choosing to be blind

 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Luke 18:35-39 (ESV)
 
Sometimes, those of us who can see choose to be blind, and the blind choose to see.
 
"Much as blind people lose by not having the use of their eyes, they have often made themselves not only useful, but even distinguished. Professor Sanderson, of Cambridge, England, lost his sight when only a year old, but became a great mathematician. Dr. Blackwood was master of Greek, Latin, Italian, and French, and a poet of no mean degree. Dr. Henry Moyes was skilled in geometry, optics, and astronomy, and he could judge very accurately of the size of any room in which he happened to be by the effects of his voice. John Metcalf, an Englishman, was employed first as a wagoner, and afterwards became a surveyor of highways. By the help of a long staff, he would traverse the most difficult mountain roads, and was able to do more than many men accomplish with their eyes open. William Metcalf laid out roads and built bridges. Euler, the mathematician, was blind. John Gough, who was an accurate botanist and zoologist, was also blind. Lord Cranbourne, blind from his childhood, published, a history of France for the young. Huber, who has written such an interesting book about bees, was blind. Homer was blind. The same was true of Ossian and Milton. Zisca, the famous Bohemian general, performed great acts of valour after the loss of his sight. The Rev. J. Crosse, vicar of Bradford, England, was blind, but as he knew the Church service by heart, he was able to conduct public worship with impressiveness and solemnity, only requiring the help of another person to read the lessons for him". (J. N. Norton, D. D.)
 
The blind man in the Bible was keenly aware of his problem and the answer to his problem. Those who could see would have been wise to take note.