Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!” Luke 19:8 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A genuine change of heart will result in changed behavior.”
Zaccahaeus was a changed man. How do we know that? Because his behavior changed. Up to this point he had been a scheming, cheating, ruthless tax collector. Driven by greed and a lack of integrity, he made his living by collaborating with the Romans against his own people (the Jews) by extracting exorbitant taxes from them. In the process, he skimmed off the top some hefty profits for himself. Zaccahaeus was a wealthy man but he was also a hated and despised man.
But then Jesus came to town. Zaccahaeus had evidently heard about Jesus, and something deep in his heart drew him to find out more about this Miracle worker who was rumored to be the long promised Messiah. Zaccahaeus sought out Jesus, had a personal encounter with Him, and he was never the same again. How do we know that? Because that greedily little man suddenly wasn’t greedy anymore. In fact he voluntarily repaid all those he had cheated – with interest!
Yes, Zaccahaeus was a changed man but the change involved much more than just words. He didn’t just profess to be a new man – He demonstrated that he was; he walked it out. The change of heart was evident by a change of behavior.
If change is real it should be observable. If it’s not observable, then we have to wonder how genuine it really is. Over the years I’ve had more than one person answer the Sunday morning invitation with tears and apparent repentance, receive baptism, and then go right back to their previous way of life. In them there was no real change. But then there have been many others who also repented and were baptized, but they then went on to live redeemed lives that were very different from how they lived before. In them the change was genuine and it was observable.
Have you had an encounter with Jesus, and has it changed you? If you answered “yes” then be sure to also ask yourself if the change in your heart resulted in a change in behavior. Can the people who knew you back then see an observable difference in your life now? Real change should be seen in how we live.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 