GOD REWARDS THE DETERMINED SOUL (PART 1)
TEXT:
"And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way."
(Luke 19 verses 2 to 4, King James Version)
For one to be “determined” is a state of having reached a decision about something. It is to be firmly resolved about what steps to take in order to solve a problem. It involves taking a firm stance in spite of opposition or difficulty. Let it be emphasized that to be “determined” has some element of desperation embedded in it. To be desperate is simply to employ extreme measures to solve a problem in order to escape defeat or frustration. Shortly, we will see all of these play out in Zacheaus’ case.
To please God, one must have faith (Hebrews 11 verse 6); and one of the ingredients of faith is determination. In our Scripture reading for today, we see Zacheaus, a despicable sinner. Not only was he a tax collector, but he was chief among them! Zaccheus had heard of the Lord Jesus and he wanted to see Him. But being conscious of the press, his small stature and his bad reputation, he did the extraordinary. The Bible says that "he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way." This was a copious and profuse determination on the part of Zacheaus!
Most people would not do what Zacheaus did. Some would consider climbing the Sycamore to see Jesus a demeaning thing to do, especially for a "big man" like Zacheaus. He de-esteemed everything he was including his sinful character in order to see Jesus. This was simply humility. Jesus saw it and couldn't pass by. He was compelled to stop to meet with him.
Honestly, it showed enormous faith on Zacheaus' part to do what he did. God would never neglect to be attracted by such determination because truly, the measure employed by Zacheaus was extreme, to say the least. The Lord Jesus' response was "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." (Luke 19 verse 5). In the end, Zacheaus did not only get to see Jesus, which was his initial goal, but in addition, he got the Lord into his home and most importantly, he got saved (Luke 19 verses 5 to 10). Yes, "God rewards the determined soul!"
This whole episode was extraordinary! It takes extraordinary measures towards God to get extraordinary responses or rewards from Him. Extraordinary measures from us towards God have the tendency to touch the tender feelings of the Lord. The Book of Jeremiah 29 verses 13 to 14 summarizes it saying,
'And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: ... "
In your relationship with the Lord, make sure you don't lack determination, because it's awesomely rewarding!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I'm fully determined to follow the Lord, notwithstanding discouraging circumstances around me.