HUNGRY

I woke up today late again, as usual! I try my best to go to church early, but I seem to have a hard time because I usually sleep late the night before, but that shouldn't be an excuse, I know, I'd just have to sleep early next time. But never-the-less me & Harry made it on time to have an awesome song of worship before the word began, and may I say, the song we sang hasn't faded from both of our minds until now...grabe ning LSS oi.hehehe...

Bitaw, to tell you honestly, I love going to church, I love hearing God's word and how it hits me like a bow-an-arrow every time I am rebuked for the wrong things that I've done and how much sin I have caused the Lord to grieve. But this is something good of course, because without hearing God's word that is intelligently interpreted by our pastor through the Holy Spirit, I wouldn't be the changed person in Christ as I am today.

So, the passage we had today was taken from the book of Luke chapter 19:1-10. If you remember, this was the story of "Zacchaeus", the short guy who climbed up on a sycamore-tree wanting to see Jesus?! There's a Sunday school song about him actually but I can't quite remember the lyrics to it.hehehe Anyhow, it was a common passage yet had a lot of things to say about US and how are RELATIONSHIP is with Jesus. What I learned about the passage was that the story was basically about "a searching sinner", a "seeking Savior" and the wonderful gift of "salvation" that God has give to us.

Zacchaeus, was actually representing us, not in the sense that we are short "physically" but short SPIRITUALLY because we're all sinners and we all fall short in the glory of God.

Being a short man as Zacchaeus was, he was also a wealthy man, a chief tax collector in Jericho if I may add who probably had stolen a lot of money from a lot of people during that time..."tax collector" gud, dili nata matingala... and for sure he must have been hated by a multitude of people. Yet despite how short he was physically and SPIRITUALLY, there was a WANTING inside of him to see who Jesus was and he didn't allow anything to stop him. And since Jesus was passing by with a crowd amongst him he wasn't able to see, so that's how he got on the sycamore-fig tree...as our pastor said, and I quote "he was very resourceful". hehe But anyway, to make the long story short, Jesus went to him and told him to come down and they ate at his. Our Pastor said that inviting himself to eat at someone else's house wasn't a usual thing that Jesus did, yet in this passage He did (Luke 19:5). And in the end of the passage, after Zacchaeus confessed how sinful he was and how he would give back to those he sinned against, he was saved! (you can read the Bible to know the whole story if you want)

After hearing the word, it really gave me a realization on how HUNGRY I am for the Lord. Like our pastor said, time with JESUS isn't about time-management but our passion to be with Him and how Hungry we are to seek him and have quiet time for Him and His word. Petty things shouldn't stop us from our First LOVE because if GOD came down from HEAVEN to be persecuted by man and HUNG on the Cross for His LOVE for us, then what is a petty thing that can stop us from being with JESUS?! it's nothing and is no excuse at all. And the thought of everything really pierced my heart because I love JESUS and I haven't been showing it much to HIM at all.

At this point, I look back on where I am now and take priority on what is important in my life... I pray that I'd have the WANTING like Zacchaeus, not letting anyone or anything get in the way of SEEing Jesus and I also hope that all who read this would also learn that JESUS is always here for us 24/7, LOVING us the same way HE did when he died on the cross and ROSE again for us almost 2000 years ago....

I pray that nations would "crave" for Him more & more, for what He's done for us could never be repaid by our own hands. So what greater love we can give but to SEEK HIM, HAVE TIME FOR HIM and PASSIONATELY WORSHIP HIM with all our heart despite all oppression by men.