Week 2 - Precious in God’s Eyes
God is looking at me with a loving gaze.
He longs for me and it was His love for me which came first.
I might wish to ask that I may discover that God is seeking me. That I may become aware that God is longing for me. That I can let God’s loving gaze gently settle on me.
MUSIC: Mendelssohn. From Psalm 91: Denn Er hat Seinen Engeln…
Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir,
dass sie dich behüten auf allen deinen Wegen,
dass sie dich auf den Händen tragen
und du dein Fuß nicht an einen Stein stoßest.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Spotify Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0okYWM70YMo96BJQlEQqUo?si=3babe2095b784a1d
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNNWP8L2K9w
Luke 19, 1-10
He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector, and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.
Is the curiosity which Zacchaeus shows in wanting to find out what kind of person Jesus is, something which I recognize in myself? What ways do I use to try to get to know Jesus better?
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When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”
Jesus looked up and saw Zacchaeus. I consider moments in my own life when I felt truly seen and I consider what effect that had on me.
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And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
For the people looking on it was obvious that something highly unconventional was taking place and they were ready with their judgement. How would I have reacted?
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But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over. And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Zacchaeus is precious in Jesus’ eyes. Instead of the name ‘Zacchaeus’, I allow myself to fill in my own name and then I let that sentence fully sink in. I am precious in Jesus’ eyes.
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Music: Mendelssohn. From Psalm 91: Denn Er hat Seinen Engeln…