Jesus knows what He is doing

When Jesus came into my life, I’d not invited Him, at least not in words like the sinner’s prayer or anything audible. I was not reading the Bible at the time, although I’d developed a habit of doing that. In fact, I was reading a book about incarnation. In it was a Scripture verse (used out of context), and as I read that verse, Jesus simply appeared.

Today I read again the story of a man named Zacchaeus who was “seeking to see who Jesus was” and because he was short, he climbed a tree for a better view. He knew Jesus was going to pass that way.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” (Luke 19:5–10)

It seems that there is a span of time between when Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home and when this man indicated his life had changed, but I understand why this is not mentioned. As one of my neighbors told me, salvation happens in a split second. When Jesus walks in, everything changes.

My neighbor, after saying how quickly it happens, added, “Then you will spend the rest of your life trying to figure out what happened!” This is true, not only for me but for others who believe.

As I read these daily devotions by a man named Donald Fortner, it has become clear that even the best of minds cannot figure it out. The Bible contains many statements about the process of salvation that seem to oppose each other and in our human weaknesses, the best we can do is accept that all are true. Even though this does make sense, we are convinced that God does not lie, and by faith we know we can believe things like God is sovereign, yet we are held accountable for our choices. He is in charge of my life and the source of all goodness, yet I am responsible to submit to Him.

The Second Coming is another debated issue. Even though Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour, this event is constantly under scrutiny. Many try to figure out and make predictions when He will show up. If no one knows, speculation seems a huge waste of time and energy.

Many theologians and average Bible readers will choose one side of these opposing issues and try to reason why the other side cannot be correct. Others decide not to do this or get into arguments about it. I’ve tried both reasoning and debating and realize their futility. God knows and that is enough.

Not only that, Zacchaeus has a lesson for me. He didn’t speculate why Jesus ‘must’ come to his house — he simply came down off his perch and ‘received Him joyfully’ — following through with repentance from his sin and obedience to the will of God. To me, this is what God wants from me. I don’t need to know why or how Jesus decided to call me from my perch. He just did — and I am glad.

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You are my Savior and Lord of all. I don’t need to know what made You come to my living room that day more than forty-five years ago. I just know that You came and that I joyfully received You. The best part is that You have changed my life, are dealing with my sin — and given me the faith to believe that You know what You are doing!