God EncountersSample

God Encounters Await the Hungry

“I want to see Jesus.” 

This was his only desire. And he had the encounter of his life!

I am talking about Zacchaeus – a misfit and traitor (Luke 19), and the chief of tax collectors who were hated by the Jews in Jesus’ time.

One day he heard that Jesus was passing by Jericho and he muttered to himself, 

“I want to see him, no matter what he takes.”

Now in order for Zacchaeus to do that, he had to move out of the comfort of his home and family, his servants, his wealth and walk on the dusty roads of Jericho amidst a crowd of people who hated him!

That’s hunger.

Hunger is the key to your God encounter. The more you hunger for God’s presence, the more you put yourself in a position for an encounter with Him. 

Throughout the Bible we see how God encountered people who were broken, imperfect, fallen and yet they had this in common – they were willing to seek Him above everything else.

But something was stopping Zacchaeus from his encounter.

The crowd would not let him in!

Sadly, we see our churches today filled with crowds. They come to see and hear about God, but their lives are so far from knowing Him. Crowds, who profess Jesus, and yet their lives show how low He is placed in priority in their jobs, career, families and everything else. 

But the good news is that the break is coming!

These are going to be selfless Jesus followers who are hungering to know His heart. You can’t fit them in your box saying, “You are new in the Lord, you don’t know much.” “You don’t have a Bible college degree” “You have a bad past” “You do this Jesus thing too much”.

But like Zacchaeus, they are going to run away from the crowd, and do ANYTHING to encounter Jesus. Zacchaeus ran away from the crowd and climbed up a tree!

“I want to see Jesus. And it doesn’t matter whether the crowds laugh at me. It doesn’t matter if I look undignified. It doesn’t even matter if Jesus sees me, but I want to see Jesus!”

And the selfless hunger of this man-made Jesus change His plans and stay with him. You see, God can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him.

Let's get away from the crowd. Let’s run to Jesus.

 Ponder Point

 1. Does my church make me hungry for Jesus? 

2. Do the friends I spend my time with make me love Jesus more? 

3. Have I gone lukewarm in my walk with the Lord, and I haven't even realized it?