Nehemiah 5:12 Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised.
Hearing Nehemiah’s sharp words, the entire group of rich people swore to return back whatever they took unrighteous from the poor. What a great picture of repentance! Bible clearly says it is the goodness/kindness of the Lord that leads us into repentance. (Romans 2:4)
I would like to again look into the story of Zaccheus. Zaccheus actually didn’t have an idea to repent or to follow Jesus. But he had a thirst to know who Jesus was.
Luke 19:3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
“Seeking” in the original translation is to “to crave, to desire intensely”. When this man just took one step to seek Jesus, Jesus blessed him back bountifully by his presence in the tax collector’s home. This goodness and kindness of Christ lead Zaccheus to repentance.
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
The Lord didn’t just blessed Zaccheus with salvation but the entire household. Here “house” implies all the members of the household.
Luke 19:9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.”
Dear sisters, may be we are praying for the repentance and salvation of a loved one in our family: spouse, children, parents, siblings etc. The story of Zaccheus comes as a great encouragement to us.
When just one of the family members, has a great thirst for the Lord like Zaccheus, it invites the glorious, magnificent presence of the Lord into our home. And this presence, goodness and kindness of the Lord will definitely lead the entire household into salvation!!
Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Dear sisters, may we not get discouraged by the current stand of our loved ones, but continue to the pant and thirst for the glorious presence of the Lord at our home, then we don’t stay far from the day, where we proclaim along with our family:
Joshua 24:15“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
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