Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this week is Luke 19:1-10.

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Luke 19:8

We have heard stories from Jesus about people who have problems with their wealth. The rich young ruler from Luke 18 was unable to give up his possessions in order to follow Jesus. The rich man in Luke 16 was uncaring toward the beggar Lazarus at his gate. The rich farmer in Luke 12 built new barns with no thought to helping others with his bounty.

Money and material possessions can become stumbling blocks to our discipleship. Anything that circumvents our relationship with God and others needs to be dealt with quickly. Jesus didn’t say money or wealthy people were inherently evil, but He did say you can’t serve money and God (Luke 16:13).

Zacchaeus shows he is willing to live up to the responsibility of his financial blessing by sharing with the poor and the caveat to repay fourfold any overtaxing he may have charged people. He becomes an example of wealth used as it was intended. God blesses us further when we use our gifts to lessen the suffering of others, not hoarding resources for ourselves.

Loving Lord, we may not consider ourselves wealthy, but if we are honest, we know You have given us much and expect much in return. Help us to be good stewards of Your gifts, using them wisely for the good of Your children everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 19:1-10.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Luke 19:7

This is not the first time this charge has been leveled at Jesus. Matthew 9:11 and Mark 2:16 both record the Pharisees question to the disciples “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus was doing what He taught by seeking out those who are shunned by society because of their position or behavior.

In both cases, Jesus answered them by saying “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” That statement should shame us all because He came to call us all, and if we are honest with ourselves, we see we are the lost sinners He seeks.

Perhaps this is one label in which we can all place ourselves together. Paul writes in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fallen short of the grace of God”. But, thanks be to God, like those “sinners and tax collectors” we point to shamefully, Jesus has come for us as well.

Gracious God, we often look at others and think how much they need saving, without realizing we are in the same situation. Bless us to see our own issues and help us turn from sin to a life in You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 19:1-10.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
Luke 19:5-6

Jesus is out looking for those who need His love and forgiveness most. Sometimes those around Him didn’t understand why He chose certain people. In today’s passage, He singles out Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector.

There is a process that is apparent in most stories of Jesus healing, and this one is no different. Jesus reaches out to Zacchaeus and he responds by welcoming Jesus into his home. Accepting Jesus and welcoming Him into our lives is the first step.

So how does this relate to us? Maybe you weren’t in a sycamore tree as Zacchaeus was, maybe you weren’t even aware, but Jesus asks us all if He may come to our homes today and every day. When we open the door to Him, our lives can never be the same again.

Loving Lord, we are in need of Your saving grace. Grant that we may receive it, and go to share it with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 19:1-10.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
Luke 19:1-4

We often hear stories of people coming to Jesus for healing – lepers, the blind, the crippled all received healing mercy from Him. So why does Zacchaeus run ahead and climb a tree to see the Lord? The scripture tells us “he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy”.

Physical infirmity is not our only weakness. Zacchaeus suffered in spirit. He may not have even recognized it until Jesus came to Jericho, and he suddenly felt the need to see Him. Something inside led him to seek the healing only Jesus can give.

While we may be comfortable and happy with our circumstances, we always have a need for the presence of the Lord in our lives. We must constantly strive to make room for His love and peace in us that we may share His gift with others. Take time to be with Jesus that you may be made whole.

Loving Lord, we are often busy and satisfied with our worldly activity and possessions. Help us to see there is more than this, that a life in You leads us to true abundance. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 19:1-10.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to 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 the lost.”

This week’s lesson finds Jesus on the move, as He often was. He lived out His ministry going where He was needed, not afraid to engage those His society deemed “unfit”. This meant lepers, the poor and foreigners, but as we see in this passage, sometimes the wealthy and powerful.

The guidance for us who claim His name is clear in verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The lost of our world is a very large group, it includes us all! Jesus makes clear that He came for everyone but especially those who are rejected or hated.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to reach out to certain groups. Those who are ill or poor or disabled are usually innocent bystanders in their conditions, having done nothing to cause it. In this story, Jesus reaches out to a wealthy and powerful man, hated by his community, to show that God wants all His lost children back. How do we reach out to those who seem to live well in this world but are still lost?

Gracious God, help us to see that not all the lost are poor or sick. Sometimes they seem to be living the “good life”, but are in need of Your love just the same as we. Make us representatives to share Your mercy to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus teaches us about prayer using two men at the temple as the example. The fact that they go to the temple to pray tells us they are believers, but they have very different ways of offering thanks to God. This difference is the lesson that Jesus wants us to understand.

One is the very model of showy prayer that Jesus has warned us against in Matthew 6:6 “Pray to your Father in secret”. The Pharisee loudly proclaims the things he does and how much he gives. The other prays quietly, asking for God’s mercy. Jesus says that the humble man is justified by God through his prayer because he was honest.

Jesus teaches us that the right way to approach God is by humbling ourselves before Him, recognizing that without Him we are nothing. Acknowledging our failings and asking forgiveness is the heart of prayer. God knows our weakness and our needs before we speak them, so go to Him without pride and without fear – He will meet us in love.

Gracious God, we are frail and often fall into wrongdoing without thinking about the consequences. Help us to admit our mistakes, and then go in Your strength to make disciples of all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.

How do we humble ourselves before God and pray earnestly? Jesus shares a parable to show us. As with all His parables, Jesus uses characters and situations with which His followers are familiar. In this way, they can see themselves as part of the story.

When you read this scripture, with whom do you identify? Very few of us want to say the Pharisee, but are we honest with ourselves? We are sometimes guilty of saying “I’m mighty proud to be humble!”, which is exactly what Jesus was warning us about in this passage.

True humility is self-emptying, giving for others and claiming nothing but the cross for ourselves. If we want to follow the example Jesus set for us, this is the only way. He never told us it would be easy, but He promised He would be with us always.

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lift me from the evil I have done, forgive my wrongdoing and make me a servant of Your kingdom. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:14

Here is a lesson that Jesus has taught us time and time again – “those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He has used many examples in His parables and lived a life to show us this is what God expects of us. God is the source of all things, anything we accomplish is due to His gifts.

In Matthew 20:16 Jesus tells “So the last will be first, and the first will be last”, the same teaching we have heard today. We must serve the Lord and each other with joy. John 13:15-17 tells us “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Our own strength is not sufficient to stand against the world. Only by humbling ourselves before God and accepting the power He gives us can we succeed. “Lord whose love through humble service, bore the weight of human need” the old hymn says, Christ’s example for how to live our lives in Him.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for your gifts and unworthy to receive them. Help us to be humble servants of Your kingdom, sharing Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
Luke 18:13

The tax collector talks about himself in his prayer just as the Pharisee did, but his intent is completely different. Instead of building himself up for his own pious acts, this man is honest and humble before God, admitting his sinfulness and asking for God’s mercy.

If we are honest with God and ourselves, we know we all sin in some way. This man doesn’t specify his particular thoughts, words or acts, but he acknowledges his responsibility for them. This is the key to restoring our relationship with God.

The Lord is gracious to us and will forgive our sins when we repent and earnestly ask for His mercy. He gave us the ability to choose, and when we turn from evil to Him, our connection to Him can be restored.

Loving Lord, we regret the harms we do to each other, the unkind word, the harmful action. Forgive us and show us the way to forgive others that we may be healed and brought back to be part of Your work in the world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Luke 18:10-12

There’s a lot of “I” in this prayer. Yes, he does thank God, but it’s still all about him and how great he is compared to others. This is not the example of how to humble ourselves before God.

Our connection to God should be one of grateful humility. What could we possibly do to deserve the love and blessing God sends us? Apparently this man obeys the law, but it is not out of a sense of loving gratitude and relationship, to him it seems more like a quota to beat.

God wants to connect to us through prayer, but it must be genuine and honest. Our own actions mean nothing without knowing the joy of salvation and our reason for living at all – to glorify God and serve His kingdom. The only “I” in our prayers should be “I thank You Lord for everything I am, for without You, I am nothing.”

Heavenly Father, without You we are weak and lost. Help us to lose our foolish pride and put all our hope and trust in You alone. Amen.