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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Songs of Encouragement   CURRENT TV SERIES Songs of Encouragement

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 “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.” Perhaps you knew this song as a child. But do you remember that story? Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Basically, he was a turncoat. He got rich by cheating his own people. This man was isolated, cut off, and hated by his fellow Jews. He must have been very lonely and full of fear and anxiety. When Jesus came to town, Zacchaeus scampered up a tree just to get a glimpse of him passing by. Jesus was working his way through the crowds; people were pressing around him, trying just to touch him. Jesus looked up, and there was Zacchaeus, literally out on a limb. Jesus stopped. Zacchaeus’ heart must have begun pounding as their eyes locked. The little man surely died a million deaths! “Oh my! He sees me. He sees me! He’s looking right at me!” And what a shock when Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house! I imagine Jesus smiled with amusement and love for him! Jesus is passing your way today. Can he come and spend time with you? I can tell you, he hasn’t listened to one word of criticism aimed against you. He sees you as a treasure up in that tree—the apple of his eye! JESUS WANTS TO SPEND SOME TIME AT YOUR HOUSE!

Fill up on the Word of God

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Colossians 3:15–17

Take a moment to think about the most delicious meal you’ve ever eaten. Perhaps it was an old family secret recipe that made the food come alive. Perhaps it was a high-class restaurant you visited for a special occasion. But it seemed like every bite was filled with flavor and it was a delight to eat. Did you clean your plate, or did you stop after two or three bites and say, “Well that was really good but I don’t want to eat anymore”?
If we are to be the people God has called us to be, then a few bites of His Word now and then are not enough. We need to be like diners in front of a delicious meal who eat and eat because they cannot believe how good it tastes. In fact, we should view the Bible as even more important than our daily food. Job said, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
We have a generation of spiritually malnourished Christians, and it should be no surprise that they are not changing the world. John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said, “The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next.”
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If the Bible does not fill our hearts and minds, we will not walk in its commandments.