Word for the Day December 17
By: Pastors John and Cascille
Hammack
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10
We are to love others as Jesus loves us. In
those whose hearts are open to Him, He sees beyond our present condition, for He knows that if we
come to Him, He will make "all things new". In the Pharisee Nicodemus, in Mary Magdalene, in the
rich chief publican Zacchaeus, in the man who was a thief next to Him on the cross, He saw their hearts open to
Him and who they could be with Him. He saw their repentant hearts and knew the love they had for Him in their hearts.
James 4:8 says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Mark 2:17 Jesus said to them, "It is
not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Praise the Lord that He loves us
when we come to Him in spite of our horrible condition. He changes us from the inside out when we come to
Him. It is the work of His Holy Spirit that sanctifies us through and through. He changes our lives and our desires.
He cleans us from the inside out.
We
are to be patient with one another. Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown
mercy." The Lord is merciful to us. We are to be merciful. The wealthy chief tax collector Zacchaeus obtained
mercy from Christ. He had been stealing from people and pocketing their wealth. Jesus saw his heart and his willingness to
come to Him. He wanted to see Jesus so much, he had climbed a tree to see Him as He passed by. Jesus saw him in the tree and
told him to come down and He would come with him to his house. Then "he made haste and
came down and received Him joyfully." Luke 19:6 Zacchaeus' earnest desire to see the Lord was rewarded with
the Lord coming to his house and forgiving him. Zacchaeus blessed the poor and restored four-fold what he had stolen from
others. His desire for the Lord was rewarded and He was changed forever. Jesus said of him, “Today
salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of
Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:9,10
It is the Lord who changes hearts and lives when they come to Him. We can not change anyone,
but we can share Him and He can change hearts and lives. If someone is willing to come to Him, He will change them. It
is very easy to fix our attention only on the weak points of those around us, to magnify them, to irritate them and aggravate
them. By doing this we make life unendurable. We can destroy the happiness and usefulness of ourselves and others wherever
we go if we do this. This is not the love that Christ loved us with; this is not the love we are to love one another
with.
1 Peter 1:22 says, "Now that
you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply,
from the heart." Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you
with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." Remember the state you were in when the Lord
drew you to Himself. Remember the great love and kindness He showed you. Love others with this same unconditional
love. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us." His Holy Spirit will change people when they come to Him, our job is to love them and to lead
them to Him. If they are willing, He will save them. Zacchaeus was willing, though not one person would have thought
he was willing. When Jesus went to His house, Luke 19:7 says "All the people saw this and began to mutter,
“He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” Jesus saw what no one else saw, He saw Zacchaeus'
willingness to come to Him.
Jesus promises us Revelation 21:5, "He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making
everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Christmas Outreach to the Homeless tomorrow at Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless Center
153 N. 17th St. Downtown Baton Rouge 11:00am - 1:00pm
Special Christmas Service following with guest Minister Brad Lively 4:30pm
Worship with Micah Lively
World Faith Outreach
3rd and Main
in the historic Kress building downtown, next
door to the Little Village Restaurant
Baton Rouge, La. 70802