In the text we just read, we see a man of reputation and position, trying to see Jesus as he is passing through Jericho…but he can’t because he is disadvantaged. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was despised by his own people because he worked for Rome, and he took advantage of his own countrymen by stealing off them while collecting taxes for the empire. The fact that he was called “chief among the publicans” means that he had climbed the ladder and had people working under him. The Bible records that he sought to see Jesus who he was…I’m led to believe that something was working on Zacchaeus, possibly his conscience was troubling him about how he made a living, or the deceitfulness and covetousness of his heart was bothering him. Here’s why I’m led to believe that because when Jesus approached him, he didn’t preach a message or point out his sin…he simply told him to come down because he was going home with him.

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
The book of Proverbs is about wise living. Written by the inspiration of God and penned by the wisest man to ever live outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “honor” as a verb means to show great respect and admiration for someone or something, to fulfill a promise or agreement, or to accept and pay a bill or a debt. There are different ways we can and should honor God… with our time, with our talents and with our treasure. Here the verse says to honor God with our substance. Substance means our possessions and our living. Does God need our money? No, He doesn’t “need” anything, but we should honor God with our substance because everything we have is directly due to Him.

At different times in scripture, the phrase “and God remembered” appears. It does not mean that God had forgotten people or promises, but rather that He began to act on a past promise, covenant or situation. It’s a form of human language used to help us understand God’s actions, and signifies God’s compassion, grace and fulfillment of His word by bringing His attention and purpose to a particular person or situation. It means that something was brought to the forefront of God’s mind, leading to His intervention and care.

The first psalm is one of my very favorites because it speaks in such an illustrative way on the importance of the word of God in a person’s life. The first verse describes the blessing of not being influenced by the lost world. It’s a progression: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly – counsel is advice or instruction given for directing the conduct or judgment of another Don’t get your instructions from the ungodly – because the ungodly are cut off from God and this is how they think

Outline Available Here

Outline Available Here

Most of the modern Bible translations use the word “love” in place of charity because it is believed to mean the same thing, but it doesn’t. The word charity means “love in action”. The Greek word translated as charity is agape which is used for a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love that is not based on emotion or attraction, but rather on a deliberate choice to seek the well-being of others, even to the point of sacrifice. This word is often used to describe God’s love for humanity. Agape love is not dependent on the worthiness of the recipient or any expectation of return. It’s love that gives freely and completely, even to those who may not be deserving or responsive. Agape love is characterized by a deep desire for the other person’s best interests. It seeks to bless and benefit the other person, regardless of their actions or character. While agape love can be accompanied by feelings, it is fundamentally a choice and an act of the will, rather than a spontaneous emotion.

To give you the setting of this scripture, this is Moses speaking at the close of the 40 years they walked through the wilderness. He is retelling the experiences of the journey to a new generation that was little or not even born yet when they walked through the Red Sea and began their time in this wilderness. This generation is preparing to cross the Jordan into the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses is revealing why they were led there and why they spent so much time there.

The word “Genesis” means origin or beginning and it explains the beginning of the creation. The book of Genesis also is the seed bed for everything where everything is planted that comes to fruition in the book of Revelation. In picture form and type you can see nearly everything that will happen throughout the Bible. You can see Calvary in Genesis 22 when Abraham takes Isaac to Mount Moriah to be offered as a burnt offering. You can see the church in the account of Rebekah being sought out and brought to Isaac.

In this bazaar story about a widow and her sons, there is a great and powerful spiritual truth that will help us if we take hold of it. The woman is between two generations. Her husband was the son of a prophet, and he left a testimony of fearing the LORD, but he is now dead and gone. She has two sons coming on (the next generation) but she owes a debt that she can’t pay, and the creditor is coming to take her two sons into slavery because of it. If he takes her two sons away, she may very well starve to death and die. So, without the next generation being liberated, she’s looking at her decline and possibly, her death.