IT’S NOT THE SAME
Sometimes you don’t feel different when things change. It’s like when a branch is cut off a tree, it takes a while for the leaves to change color.
FAITHFUL BUT FLAWED
Beloved, sometimes we see people’s flaws and we conclude that they do not deserve God’s calling and election. We assess their lives and find nothing deserving.
ASK AGAIN
Sometimes we’re in that season when God has called us to do something and we just need a little bit more information. We’re not saying God, we’re not going to do it. We’re not saying we don’t want to do it yet. We’ve accepted the call, we just need a little bit more clarity and information.
COMMON BUT USEFUL
Jael was a homemaker and any typical homemaker has some basic skills. They know how to take care of their home, put things in place, cater to their kids and, in this particular time, part of the homemaker’s responsibility was to set up the tent and take it down.
CONFIDENCE IN MAN
When we talk about dependence on man, we often think it is putting every single thing that we have, our whole hope, our whole focus on humans, but it’s not always like that. Sometimes it could mean that you are hoping on them in one area.
SINFUL BUT COURAGEOUS
In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were like my church people; they were judgmental people who were more focused on upholding the laws of Moses than actually loving the people of God. They were very intentional about counting errors than leading people by example and teaching them the ways of God.
COURAGE TO WITNESS
One of the fears a lot of believers face is feeling unqualified to testify of Jesus. We feel that if we aren’t perfect, if our past wasn’t flawless we have no right talking about Jesus. In fact, we believe we must be perfect in our present, without flaws or struggles.
IN TRUTH
Sometimes, we pretend to be someone we’re not, we call it “packaging”. We do this with God too, trying to hide our true selves. Even while worshiping in church when we try to look holy instead of being authentic.
IT’S A GLITCH
We are often too judgmental of people who are just trying to get a hold of Jesus. For example, when we see people who do not “act” Christian or are not as bold about their faith or are just plain unbelievers publicly posting about Jesus online, people get triggered and they express anger and disapproval in the comment section.
CLIMB UP
In our text today, we have Zacchaeus, he was so desperate to meet with Jesus, to know Him, to see who this Man was; he just wanted to get a glimpse of Him. But he had a couple of limitations.