January 19, 2018: SOAP #2969:  Genesis 47-48; Psalm 10; Luke 19

Scripture:  Luke (NIV) 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man, he could not, because of the crowd.4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

Observation:   Jesus had no plans to spend time in Jericho; He was just passing through on His way to Jerusalem.   But His life was not His own; He was living as a man led by the Holy Spirit.  His journey that day was interrupted by opportunity.

That interruption brought Zacchaeus into the kingdom, restored overcharged tax money, and became a part of the eternal scriptures!   It was a very important interruption!

Application:  I need to be open to interruptions.  Those interruptions may become the most important part of my day!  Before pushing them aside, I need to see if the Holy Spirit is preparing to do something special.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, forgive me for thinking I am too busy doing important things to be bothered by interruptions.  Forgive me for thinking that I alone know how to best plan my day.  Bring this scripture to my mind the next time I am interrupted by an opportunity to bless someone for the glory of Jesus.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!