A Devotion
By Joe Guagliardo
Luke 19:1-10
“We’re all lost until we find Jesus.”
September 7, 2023
If the pictures above don’t paint a thousand words, then I’ll come right out and tell you. I lost my cell phone again. When I say again, I’m talking about multiple losses in the last few years.
About five years ago, I left my wife’s and my cell phones on top of the car. About halfway to our destination, I heard a noise outside the vehicle. That’s when I remembered I had left our cell phones on top of the car. After over an hour of searching on Highway 528 in Cape Canaveral, I found them. Kathy’s was in one piece and only slightly damaged because it was in its case. On the other hand, Mine was not so lucky; it was in two pieces and destroyed.
About a year ago, once again, I left my phone on the top of my car. It fell off as I was turning onto the entrance once again to Highway 528. I was going the other way this time, and I never recovered it.
Finally, this past Sunday, my wife and I went to church, and I put my phone in the Bible holder in the pew. After church, we stopped at the supermarket on the way home from church when I realized I didn’t have my phone. I drove back to church but couldn’t find it. Over the next 24 hours, an elder looked for my phone, as well as my Pastor and his wife. No luck. I guess I left it on the car again, and it fell off. I now have a new phone, once again. My phone was lost, but I found a new one at the Boost store.
I am sharing my phone story to tell you this. I, like most of you, was lost at one time, and then I was found.
I’m talking, of course, of being a lost human until I found Jesus. That may seem a bit cliché, but it’s true. We were all lost at one time or another. Some of us have found our way, others have not. Here’s an example from the book of Luke.
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house Today.” So, he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10
We’ve all heard this story before. From the time we were in Sunday school to a Sunday sermon, we all know about Zacchaeus. He was the lowest of the low in the eyes of the people; Zacchaeus was “A Tax Collector.”
Tax Collectors were known to cheat the citizens, and Zacchaeus came right out and admitted it.
“Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
We don’t know what transpired at Zacchaeus’ home, nor do we know what was said. But we do know that Zacchaeus became a believer that day. He repented of his sins and became a follower of Christ.
Jesus himself was overjoyed. He said, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
If you take the time to read the Gospels, you’ll find numerous incidents of sinners repenting and becoming followers of Jesus.
We all lose things. Sometimes, we find them; other times, like me and my lost phone(s), we don’t find them (At least not in good condition).
No matter what earthly thing we have lost, we can never lose Jesus. We may have lost our way, but He is always there, willing to welcome us with open arms.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
joegministries.com 