“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.’” – Luke 19:6-8

This is what it looks like to put your faith in Jesus:

• You joyfully and urgently receive Jesus into every aspect of your life
• Your past, ugly as it might be, becomes irrelevant, because you are a new creation in Christ
• Your profession, reputation, and people’s opinion about you become irrelevant, because Christ is in you
• You are deeply aware of all that you’ve done wrong and profoundly sorry for it, asking God’s forgiveness
• You actively seek to make amends for what you’ve done wrong in the past, because you know you’re already forgiven by God
• The things you used to be passionate about (i.e. money in Zaccheus’s case) no longer hold so much power over you
• You are instead excited about Jesus Christ in your life and what He has done, is doing, and will do for and in you

If you identify as a Christian, but have never experienced these things, Scripture says to examine yourself and your faith to make sure you have truly believed in Jesus as your Lord and Savior by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf. If you discover you have not, then take that step of faith today and commit your life to Jesus. If you have but your passion has waned, resolve to pursue your relationship with Christ more intentionally every day, because the life of every follower of Christ should bear these signs of conversion like Zaccheus.

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” – Luke 18:1

The Bible tells us much about prayer. As followers of Jesus we can enter boldly into God’s presence with our prayers and know that God will give us mercy and grace. We’re invited to lay our concerns and anxieties before the Lord in prayer and exchange them for peace and comfort. We’re assured that God hears our prayers and looks upon them with favor. We’re confident that God knows our needs before we even give voice to prayer. But we’re also told to pray persistently, to pray without ceasing, and to be asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer on an ongoing basis.

Prayer isn’t like sending an email that we fire off and forget about. Prayer isn’t like telling Santa what we want for Christmas or like visiting the ATM to quickly get what we need. There is a greater purpose to prayer than merely passing along a list of needs from time to time. Prayer is an invitation to cultivate a meaningful relationship with the Creator of the universe.

We’re able to be in relationship with God by the reconciling work of Christ on the cross. We enter into relationship with God through faith in Christ. However, like any relationship, we must work to deepen it. That comes, in part, through our regular conversations with God in prayer. The pursuit of God is the greater lifelong purpose of prayer, not simply the fulfillment of specific requests. Hence why Jesus taught His disciples, and us, to pray persistently and not give up when we don’t quickly receive the answer we want.

God uses our consistent and persistent prayer to strengthen our relationship with Him. He also uses our prayer to reshape our heart and mind to be more like His. Over a lifetime of prayer, we come to realize prayer is less about getting what we want and more about aligning our desires and will to God’s. God uses our prayer time to listen to us, to speak us, and to transform us. Through persistent prayer we learn to be at peace when His answer is “No” because we believe He has better plans. We learn to be at peace with “Not now” because we come to understand how much better His timing is than ours. Thus, as we are faithful to meet the Lord often in prayer, we remain encouraged, no matter the situation and no matter God’s answer to our requests.

“And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.” – Deuteronomy 26:11

Even in the best of times it’s very easy to dwell on the negative, and these are not the best of times. As we shrink into self-isolation and lament the things we can’t do or don’t have, our thoughts can turn increasingly dark. However, standing as we do on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb of Easter, there is still so much that we can rejoice in!

Take time each day to rejoice and give thanks for the good things God has given you. These include the enormous spiritual blessings we have in Christ: forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, adoption by God, indwelling by the Holy Spirit, friendship with God, spiritual guidance and protection, and eternal life. In Christ we enjoy salvation, sanctification, and the promise of future glorification. No virus, quarantine, or recession can take these things away from us!

We also have many other things for which we can be thankful, even if it’s simply the beauty of the flowers and trees blooming during this unique spring. Take time each day to identify these good things, rejoice in them – let the thought of them fill you with joy, and give thanks for them. Encourage all in your family and circle of friends to do likewise. Don’t let the negativity of the news, the genuine struggles of this season, and the constraints of “staying at home” prevent you from seeing the beauty and blessing of God at work all around you and for you!

“And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” – Luke 16:26

To die without Christ is to be separated from God for all eternity and to know it! Jesus was very clear. While the Gospel offers endless second, third, and fourth chances during life, once we die, there are no do-overs. If you die without faith in Jesus, no matter how “good” you think you were, you were not “good enough” to be perfect, because none of us are.

To die without Christ is to spend eternity with complete awareness of who and what you are missing out on. Jesus is very clear – an eternity apart from Him is agony in every way. That may not be pleasant to hear or popular to say today, but if you have respect for what Jesus said, you must realize that He spoke of hell and eternal agonizing separation from God graphically and repeatedly.

Choose carefully your plan for the afterlife! Do you imagine it doesn’t exist and risk an eternal and unpleasant surprise when you discover you are wrong? Is it to get to heaven on your own good works and self-discipline, only discover that they didn’t add up to “perfect”? Or will you trust in the perfect Son of God whose death and resurrection opened the gates of heaven for all who believe in Him?

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.” – Luke 16:16

The empty tomb of Easter makes clear that the Kingdom of God is open and welcoming all who will enter it. Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom, then died and rose to make the Kingdom available for all who give their lives to Him in faith. The Kingdom is good news for all who hear it and respond. It ushers in forgiveness for sin, resurrection from dead, reconciliation and fellowship with God, and union with Christ.

As citizens of the Kingdom, we are each appointed to serve as royal ambassadors here on earth, representing the character of the King and faithfully conveying His message. Our task as long as we draw breath is to represent Christ and urgently invite others to enter the Kingdom by putting their trust in Jesus Christ. Ambassadors, we have work to do!