Luke19:8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
At first I was quite surprised about this verse... if Zacchaeus would give half of his goods to the poor, and if he would restore everything he has taken by false accusation fourfold, then what would he still have??? (About this "fourfold" -> 1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep." Exodus 22:1)
Because I think that he betrayed quite many people and so if he had to restore everything he has taken by false accusation fourfold, would he not just simply lose all his possessions? From very rich to very poor. How could he then still receive Jesus, if he had nothing for him anymore? What about his responsibility of a host?
But God tells us:
Mt6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If we first seek the kingdom of God, then all "these" (=> our daily needs) things shall be added to us. This verse is on the one hand very easy to follow but on the other hand very hard to do.
It is easy, because as we first seek his kingdom, we do not have to worry about anything anymore! No worries... oh how many people wish to have no worries... -> just as simple as that!
But it is hard because a) first you really have to seek his kingdom first
b) you have to have this faith in God, that if you follow point a) that he will take care of you
So finally Zacchaeus didn't have to have any worries about his material possessions, because God would take care of him. And he doesnt has to worry about his guest Jesus, because Jesus knows that ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
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indeed easier said than done. we can all quote the verse, or say to 'follow God's will', but when it's our turn to do all that, we sometimes fall away from what we quote. and that is a sign that there is always room for improvement in our faith.
since no one's faith is perfect, or ever will be perfect in the eyes of God. therefore, the importance is not in whether our faith is perfect, but in whether our faith grows day by day. that one day, we learn to quote verses, but the next, we can live out those verses that we quote. may we continue to seek God's favor and ask Him to help us in strengthening our faith moment by moment. that we are able to take the lessons in life to experience that the verses we quote actually do come true, and that God truly is a living God.
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