Lesson for 5/29

Hey all, the Sunday school lesson for tomorrow comes from Luke 19:1-10. Its titled, "Joyous Faith" As we continue in our lesson series on Faith; may we meditate on this title, at times we may experience trouble and although we have faith that God will deliver us through, it may not be easy to express a spirit of Joy in the midst of the storm. Glory be to God for the amount of joy we have when we are delivered!; We may also express joy when we are giving generously or lending a helping hand to someone that may be in need! In this lesson we find Jesus entering into a town called Jericho; there was a man there named Zacchaeus, the Bible says he was the chief tax collector there and had become very rich. As Jesus was traveling through, Zacchaeus was trying to get a good look at Him, but he was too short to see over the crowds. Verses 4-5 says "So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus! He said. "Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today." Pause..It always amazes me When I read accounts of Jesus saying the name of someone whom has never met Him face to face. The scripture that comes to mind is Ephesians 1:3-4 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." - Even before we were born, before the foundation of the world, we were known and loved! Back to verse 6, it says "Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy." Moving on to verse 7, we see people around them, those that were present in the crowds witnessing Jesus heading to this man's house. They began to murmur and become displeased because this man was considered a "notorious sinner." I can see them now, wondering and saying to each other, "why in the world would Jesus want to be a guest at this mans house? What business does He have with him?"  - Verse 8 says "meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said. "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" Jesus responds in verse 9, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who
are lost." Without deviating from the lesson too much, When verse 9 says "this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham" we can parallel this scripture to  Galatians 3:6-7 - In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God." That's another powerful lesson in itself! - We are a blessed people of faith! May we express and maintain the level of joy and excitement Zacchaeus had when first seeing Jesus; but then also being willing to give his all to those less fortunate. Despite the people who were standing in the crowds with their negative opinions; we find Jesus, the Son of Man bringing salvation to this man's house and in turn, taking care of the poor, through this same man, who was initially considered a "notorious sinner."

God can use anyone! - Let us continue to not merely have faith, but express JOYOUS Faith!! To God be the glory, thanks for reading.