Notes

Why Faith is Never Boring When Seen From the Treetops
Julio Iglesias wasn't always in a position to sing. Originally the entertainer wished to be considered a professional soccer player. His career dreams were sidelined when a car accident left him paralyzed from the waste down sufficient reason for little chance of ever walking again. His stay in the hospital lasted almost a year, and it was during this time period a nurse gave him a guitar to pass the time. more info spent hours on end listening to the radio and writing lyrics while attempting to master the instrument, and by enough time he could walk again the span of his existence had been dramatically altered. His life can be an exemplory case of how one moment can change everything.

For Zacchaeus, that moment came one afternoon in the town of Jericho. The Bible tells us that Zacchaeus was "a chief tax collector" (Luke 19:2), an occupation that at the time was open to extreme abuse. Zacchaeus' dishonest practice had made him a wealthy man, albeit an unpopular one. The course of his life will be drastically changed one day when he met an itinerant Rabbi while sitting in a sycamore tree. Luke tells us that "When Jesus reached the tree, he looked up and thought to him, 'Zacchaeus, drop immediately. I must stay at your home today'" (Luke 19:5).

It is a popular story, one which most children are familiar with. Zacchaeus climbs down from the tree declaring he will right the wrongs he's got committed, repaying four times the money he cheated anyone out of. However the story is more than a powerful anecdote, it is our story.

We also often find ourselves sitting on a branch, watching the times go by, afraid to fully embrace the voice that is calling out to us. But the amazing thing about this journey of faith is that there surely is one who is walking towards us while we have been sitting in a tree, and he knows us by name. He calls us to climb down and join him in discovering what this means to be fully alive. For many who elect to leave their host to comfort in the sycamore, he supplies a possiblity to experience life in the Kingdom of God.

It is a defining moment to take the step of faith and begin the descent from the branches which have been our security for such a long time. You can easily get used to the view from up there. But we are not meant to be spectators, and the main one who calls us by name could be trusted. Luke concludes the story by telling us, "For the Son of Man found seek also to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). The truth is, he's got found us and he offers to show us that there is life everlasting beyond the sycamore, we can simply trust him enough to "come down" and live it.

A former pastor, Tobin holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in theology. Having traveled widely in the Marine Corps so when a graduate student, Tobin has spent days gone by 15 years gathering a few of the world's most effective life-changing truths. He's the author of The Life THAT'S Really Life: How Biblical Truth Can Transform Your Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Relational Health.
Website: http://xn--8prw0a.net/home.php?mod=space&uid=13905795