“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.”
“Hide not your talents, they for use were made,
What's a sundial in the shade?”
What's a sundial in the shade?”
2 SAMUEL 7-9
JOURNAL
It’s interesting that Jesus tells this parable right after saying that salvation has come to Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, someone most people in his community hated. Tax collectors were seen as dishonest and greedy because they worked for the Romans and often took more money than was owed. But Jesus didn’t seem to care about Zacchaeus’ past or his reputation. Instead, Jesus looked at Zacchaeus’ heart. While others might have only seen a sinner, Jesus saw someone who was ready to change.
This idea is something we see all throughout the Bible. For example, when God chooses David to be king, He tells Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV). Jesus was always focused on what was inside a person, rather than their past mistakes or or reputation.
From David to Zacchaeus, the heart of God always values action over timidity. This idea is also seen in another one of Roosevelt's quotes: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” This message connects with what Jesus teaches too—our lives should be defined by boldness, courage, and action.
For Zacchaeus, he didn’t just talk about changing, he took action. He promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times what he had stolen. Jesus didn’t just look at what Zacchaeus had done wrong in the past; He saw the change in Zacchaeus’ heart and the actions he was now willing to take to make things right.
God gives us the freedom and strength to live with courage and love, even when we feel afraid or distracted by things that seem important in the moment. His Spirit helps us to stop holding back and instead act with confidence. God doesn’t want us to be afraid of doing what’s right. He wants us to live boldly, to love others, and to make a difference in the world.
Just like Jesus showed Zacchaeus, salvation isn’t about how perfect we’ve been or how much we’ve failed—it’s about a heart that is willing to change and take action. God wants us to live boldly and act with love, to be transformed every day into the people He created us to be.
It’s interesting that Jesus tells this parable right after saying that salvation has come to Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, someone most people in his community hated. Tax collectors were seen as dishonest and greedy because they worked for the Romans and often took more money than was owed. But Jesus didn’t seem to care about Zacchaeus’ past or his reputation. Instead, Jesus looked at Zacchaeus’ heart. While others might have only seen a sinner, Jesus saw someone who was ready to change.
This idea is something we see all throughout the Bible. For example, when God chooses David to be king, He tells Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV). Jesus was always focused on what was inside a person, rather than their past mistakes or or reputation.
From David to Zacchaeus, the heart of God always values action over timidity. This idea is also seen in another one of Roosevelt's quotes: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” This message connects with what Jesus teaches too—our lives should be defined by boldness, courage, and action.
For Zacchaeus, he didn’t just talk about changing, he took action. He promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times what he had stolen. Jesus didn’t just look at what Zacchaeus had done wrong in the past; He saw the change in Zacchaeus’ heart and the actions he was now willing to take to make things right.
God gives us the freedom and strength to live with courage and love, even when we feel afraid or distracted by things that seem important in the moment. His Spirit helps us to stop holding back and instead act with confidence. God doesn’t want us to be afraid of doing what’s right. He wants us to live boldly, to love others, and to make a difference in the world.
Just like Jesus showed Zacchaeus, salvation isn’t about how perfect we’ve been or how much we’ve failed—it’s about a heart that is willing to change and take action. God wants us to live boldly and act with love, to be transformed every day into the people He created us to be.
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