A Wee Little Man

  

Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

~Psalms 2:8 NKJV

"Father, would you plant a sycamore tree along the road from Jericho? There will be a man who will need that tree in a few years."

"Yes, my Son. It is done."

Fifty years later - A small man scurried about preparing to leave his house. All the money needed to be secured. The expensive goods needed to be hidden. All the while, he wondered how he, the shortest man in town, would be able to hear and see the great Teacher if he were trapped in the middle of the noisy moving crowd. Perhaps if he went ahead of the crowd, he would be able to see Jesus as He led the crowd out of town. 

Hurrying down the road, he noticed an old sycamore tree. Its heart-shaped leaves were already large. If he climbed the tree, the leaves would hide him from the crowd. They despised him anyway. He gained his riches from their taxes. Perhaps, climbing up the tree would be his best option. He would be able to see without being seen. 

As he settled in, the wasps annoyed him. He knew the figs drew the wasps needed to prick the fruit, allowing them to ripen. Otherwise, they were inedible. Still, he swatted. Didn't they know he wasn't a fig? There, just up the road, Jesus led the raucous crowd. He spoke to the people listening intently until the Pharisees interrupted with their questions. Jesus was drawing nearer. Now He stopped. Jesus looked up with a smile. Suddenly, the man felt very exposed. 

"Zacchaeus, come down. I want to go to your house today. " 

He nearly fell scrambling down the slick trunk. "You want to go to my house? Come, come this way. It's only a short distance."

The crowd murmured. They watched in shock that Jesus would go to the house of a sinner like Zacchaeus. He was a thief and a robber. "Jesus doesn't know what He is doing. He can't be the Messiah if he keeps company with a tax collector."  Many shook their heads in disbelief, but they followed Jesus to Zacchaeus's house. 

Zacchaeus's heart was pricked. He knew he didn't deserve to have Jesus in his home. But he knew Jesus cared about him. He had robbed many people and needed to be forgiven. He wanted to change his ways. "Jesus, I want to give half my goods to the poor. If I have wronged anyone, I will give them back four times what I have taken." 

Jesus looked about at the people. “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Each time Zacchaeus passed the sycamore tree on his way to the town, he looked up. "Thank you, Father, for planting this tree here just for me."

Have you ever felt like you were hiding from God? Zacchaeus wasn't the only one. Remember Adam and Eve tried to make clothes with fig leaves. Have you ever felt God pricking your heart so you could turn from your bitter sin and ripen into the sweet Christian Jesus wants you to be? 

Have you ever thought how Jesus planned to get the message of salvation to you? How he planned for everything to be in place at the right time just for you? We've all been Zacchaeus at some point. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for planning every situation for my salvation. May I continually thank you for the day you pricked my heart and brought salvation to my house. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Have you ever climbed a sycamore tree? My grandmother called the tree a sycamine. I thought it was just her old-fashioned English, but when I did a little research through Bible Study Tools, it turns out that Zacchaeus's sycamore tree was actually a sycamine. It grows much like a fig tree in the Middle East and has inedible fruit unless the fruit is pricked. 

Use the Bible Study Tools link above to help you find out more about Sycamore trees and what trees we have that are similar. It could be you have eaten a fruit pricked by a wasp. I've eaten the fruit from a tree in my backyard. It's pretty tasty. 

Do you know the song "Zacchaeus was a Wee Little Man"? Follow the link to hear the Cedarmont kids sing it on YouTube.

Heroes of 1776

 

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. !II Chronicles 7:14

This year we celebrate 250 years of our nation, but how much do we know?

I recently watched an interview with Trey Gowdy and Judge Neil Gorsuch. Judge Gorsuch has researched the men and women who were instrumental in writing our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. He wrote Heroes of 1776 for children so they might know, be encouraged, and have the courage to be citizens our founders would be proud of.

Judge Gorsuch declares that often people confuse the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution. They are two separate entities, each with a special purpose. The Declaration of Independence focuses on the aspirations of the declaration: inalienable rights, created equal, and the right to rule ourselves. The writers declared these were given by God, and among those rights were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Constitution is the separation of powers between the state and the Federal Government.

As the men met in Philadelphia to discuss the Declaration, they discussed not only the contents but also who should write the document. John Adams went to Thomas Jefferson to ask him to write. Jefferson locked himself away in a rented room for two weeks, writing the challenge to our forefathers and to us to make a better life for ourselves and our families. That's the true pursuit of happiness. Though the document was agreed upon in July, the signing did not take place until August 2, 1776.

After the writing, the document needed to be published and distributed to all the colonies to gain the endorsement of the populace. A trusted publisher who always signed publications, M.K. Goddard, was asked to print the Declaration of Independence. At the bottom, she wrote, Mary Katherine Goddard. The publisher was a woman! She, along with the signers, was willing to risk her life. The signers knew this document could cost them, and their families their livelihoods, their fortunes, and their very lives.

Judge Gorsuch poses challenges and questions to his readers as we celebrate and reflect on our nation's 250th birthday. How will we protect and preserve what has been bequeathed to us? Only 40% of the colonists wanted independence. Another 20-30% were loyalists. The rest stood on the sideline and watched to see who would win. Judge Gorsuch's other question is, are we willing to pay the price for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Just what would that cost be? To listen to the full interview, visit: https://radio.foxnews.com/podcast/trey-gowdy/

I've visited many of the Revolutionary battlefields in my area, but there are many I have yet to view. Perhaps this summer, my vacation plans will reflect my patriotism in visiting and learning more about the country I love. 

Father God, please grant us the understanding of our need of personal repentance as well as national repentance. Forgive us Lord, for we have sinned greatly. Please restore us to Yourself and heal our land. In Jesus' name. Amen

Our War Rooms

 

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ~Matthew 6:6 NKJV

How's your prayer life? In our busy, rushed world sometimes we forget that we can come before our heavenly Father and tell Him all about our lives, our troubles, and our fears. Our prayer life is our war room. This weekend, we give thanks for those who served and gave their lives to defend our freedoms. We recognize and honor them through various memorials and by visiting their graves. But do we neglect our personal battlefields? 

The battlefield of the mind, the necessity of entering that battlefield through prayer, that's the war where we can give all. I was recently studying for my Bible class and ran across a booklet, the name of which I have forgotten, that described prayer in an acrostic. It was a good reminder for me of things I need to include in my prayers. Perhaps they will help you as well.

• Praise- Praise is a great way to begin our prayers because God created us for love. He wanted to show love. He appreciates love in return. We were created to show love to our Creator through praise. Jesus rejoiced as He thanked the Father. 

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. Luke 10:21

• Repent - When we open our hearts to praise we also open them to the understanding of our sin. As we pray repentance is a key factor. 

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ Luke 18:13

• Ask - Ask for the needs of others. True joy comes in putting Jesus first, then Others, before You. A true servant focuses on others first. 

Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. Luke 7:7

• Yielding - Finally, enter into God's counsel and carry out his purpose. Jesus withdrew Himself and asked counsel of the Father about the crucifixion. 

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:41,42

Heavenly Father, thank you for all the ways You care for us. Forgive us Father for neglecting to give You praise before others. Father, show us how we can meet the needs of others while giving them the message of Your salvation. Direct us as we war against principalities in high places of the spiritual realm. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Have you noticed how there is the message of the gospel hidden in almost all literature? It may seem a little strange to think about the Grinch here in the summer, but I think he's a good example of what I'm trying to say about the difference praise in our prayers can make.

• The Grinch's heart was two sizes too small. He was selfish and cared nothing for others. 
• He thought he could stop others' joy by taking all the things he thought made Christmas. 
• He found that Christmas was more than presents and decorations and feasting. 
• When he heard the praise his heart grew. It was opened to the truth.
• He realized he was wrong and gave back the presents. Kinda sounds like Zacchaeus.
• I think he may have asked to join the celebration or maybe he was asked to join. 
• Finally we see him serving, literally carving the roast beast.

Though the true Christmas story was never mentioned, we can still see message that can be used to tell others about God's love in sending His Son that first Christmas and the difference Christ makes in our lives. 

How can you show Jesus to those you meet?