Written By: Lanissa Reale
Hello beautiful friends! I hope to get to know you a bit better through our blog comments below- make sure to comment and we can start chatting! Last time we spoke about allowing the Lord to take us on a journey, from our head to our hearts. And we’re not done yet! Let’s go a bit deeper shall we?!
‘And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was passing by, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down, and received him joyfully. ‘ Luke 19: 2-7
As I read Luke 19 today, something within me leaped for joy! Most of us have heard this story of Zacchaeus hearing that Jesus was coming into town and then climbing up into a tree (because he was a shorty!) to get a glimpse of Jesus.
Can you imagine Jesus actually walking by you?!?! I would do anything I could to see him too; and I love the message that we typically get out of this passage. Do what you need to do, no matter your circumstance or what the crowd says about you- to get to Jesus.
BUT- what I think we miss sometimes is the fact that our place is not always up in the tree searching for Jesus. What do I mean?
I think, and know because I have been here before, is that we can get into this mode of being on the lookout for what God is doing, where He is going etc. We know that He is a big God & so we keep our eyes peeled for the big things that He HAS to have in store for us, right?!
But what I love most about this passage is when Jesus says, “Zacchaeus, come down from your tree. I’ve come to stay with you today.” You see, Jesus wants us to come down from expecting and waiting on Him and actually be with Him. Dine with him, stay with Him & experience what He has for us in the day to day moments.
Seeking for Jesus has its value and importance, but it was never intended to be our stopping place. Because being in the position of seeking can sometimes become our comfort zone. We are comfortable going into Church on Sundays, comfortable attending events but not really getting connected, comfortable seeing from a distance but not actually getting our hands dirty in this journey of faith.
Experiencing The Lord is when the true, sanctification process begins. Experiencing The Lord is the Becoming process. Experiencing the Lord is what we were created to do.
I pray that we would choose to get off our high seat & sit with Jesus. Walk with Jesus. Be with Jesus in our daily lives. It’s in the daily moments when we truly learn what it feels like to walk in His Spirit. Let us remember to be Mary’s in moments when Martha needed to come and sit. Let us be women who are concerned, mostly, with experiencing Jesus personally.
Let’s CHAT below:
What has been keeping you from experiencing Jesus in an intimate and daily way? And what do you want to do, moving forward, to eliminate that obstacle? Let’s talk through it together in the blog comments below!
Until Next Time,
~ Lanissa Reale (lanissareale.wordpress.com)
Uniquely Yours Ministries 
I find it is a matter of perspective. Last night, I was talking with another church goer who said that when she worked the coffee house she felt “stuck” behind the counter. I was shocked. When I work the coffee house, I find great joy and honor. It is the hub of our church. I enjoy greeting and meeting. I never feel “stuck”. The minute I enter the coffee house, I say a prayer “Jesus, let me bless those who I meet today.” I am never disappointed. For me, the counter is a way to bless those who I may not get to bless on a regular basis. If I could, I would work the coffee house every week. Sometimes it is just asking God to remove you and fill you up with Him. I am naturally a Mary, so serving in the coffee house was a burden in the beginning. Just the thought of it made me cringe. What was the change? When I realized that I wasn’t “stuck” behind the counter. I was able to be Jesus with skin on to those who entered into my church. Sometimes it is how you view your situations that limit how you are with Jesus. He is and always will be Lord. How you allow him to be Lord in your life is the question.
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