My heart leaps high into your Heavens… when it’s me and You. Just me and You. The world they want to offer me is barren… because it excludes You. And I only want You. I have to have You. I need to breathe You… In and out. It’s in Your presence my life is found.

God beckons you…
Into adventurous life with Him… 

Leave it behind… the way it’s supposed to look like. Leave it behind… the way it’s supposed to unwind. Let go of the road everyone goes and the path you could take. There is a better way. The enriching way. Jesus’ way. ♥️

When you risk everything for Him it may feel foolish.
When you give everything for Him it will seem outlandish.

But this is where the thrill comes from.
This is where the passion comes from.
This is where the intimacy comes from. 
When you shatter every obstacle between you and Him.

It means something.

Risking it all for love.

To be even closer to your Lover.

I want to be closer and closer to You, Lord. Nothing hindering.

Jesus said, “If you try to save your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Give everything for God…

You will find… it’s not a risk. It is the catalyst! Of life. Life on a higher equilibrium. Where Heaven is… Then Jesus is looking up at you… and your eyes feel like diamonds melting at the sight of love colliding.

Zacchaeus encountered this in Luke 19. When Jesus looked up at him sitting high in the treetops. He wanted to see Jesus as close as he could.

“So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:4

Zacchaeus literally ran! As fast as he could. I can see him climbing up the tree hoping he will reach the top in time to get a glimpse of the Messiah he wanted to see so much. There was something about Jesus that was special. And it provoked an instant reaction in him to get as close as possible and as fast as possible.

He didn’t want to miss out.

So he did something.

What do you need to do to get closer to Jesus?

“Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:5‬ ‭

Hurry! Jesus said…

I love the fast-paced movement of this passage. Usually we find a lot of this accelerated verbage in the gospel of Mark which shows Jesus’ immediacy and constant movement as He travelled preaching and healing. But this is not the gospel of Mark, it is the gospel of Luke. Different ways of writing. So for Luke to highlight this fast-moving language here as well, is important. Because it stands out for a purpose. This is a moment meant to be seized with haste.

When scenes unfold with rapid movement in the Bible, it expresses an urgency in what is going on.

Right now in Luke 19, Jesus is passing through and there is only a short window of time to get near Him. Zacchaeus knows this. So he responds with an instinctive action to get closer to see Jesus. Right then. This tells us that He must know something about who Jesus is already. And it draws Him.

Zacchaeus does not hesitate. He makes the quick decision to climb the tree. He could have paused to think about the logistics of the situation. He could have taken time to perceive the large number of people encircling Jesus which would make it hard to get access. He knew the time was short. He also knew his sight was limited in the crowd because the scripture says “he could not see because of the crowd, for he was of short stature,” in verse 3 and thus he climbs the tree to elevate his gaze. 

But nothing holds Zacchaeus back.

I love this about Zacchaeus. He isn’t concerned about a disadvantage limiting him nor does he make an excuse for it and resolve that he can’t see Jesus. You never hear him say, “I can’t see anything so I will just wait another time…” NO. He takes action with the resources around him! He gets creative. He thinks outside of the status quo.

He is about to do something that may make him look ridiculous to any passers-by but he isn’t worried about that. What it looks like makes no difference to him. He climbs up that tree with authority and isn’t about to let this moment pass him by.

Your reckless zeal to do what it takes to move closer to Jesus attracts His attention. Positively. God wants us to pursue Him as He pursues us.

His Word says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” in Jeremiah 29:13.

Jesus matches with the same rapid intensity that Zacchaeus shows when he climbs up the tree hastily to get a view. When he speaks to him high up in the tree. He saw Zacchaeus even before Zacchaeus saw Jesus.

Jesus notices how we act. How we move. What compels us. What excites us. What prompts us to take action. Because He is a close and loving God who all-knowing and wholly caring of who we are. God is an intimate God.

Jesus also notices his haste in this moment. Jesus notices that Zacchaeus wanted to see Him more than anyone else in the crowd. Trees stood all around and many could have done the same, but only one was reckless enough to climb to get closer. 

find me

in the sunset

bursting into pink

blushing

find me

in the autumn

falling with leaves

loving

You

i’m alive

when I am with You

“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find me.” Proverbs 8:17

Jesus liked it. That Zacchaeus was willing to do anything to get closer to Him. No matter what it looked like.

” I must stay at your house.” Jesus says…

Jesus invites himself over to his house because of it.

God will invite Himself into your space when you make Him yours. He takes the lead. Because He knows you are all in to receive Him. God does not want a relationship where He has to force you into loving Him and cajole you into caring for Him. He is a real being just like us. And He wants to be loved fiercely. He wants to be chosen. He wants to be our top priority and that means you need to do what it takes to love Him that way. 

Whatever you need to do to get closer to God, do it now! Don’t wait.

Urgency is needed when keeping the flames of love burning. 

I’m reminded of Song of Solomon. This book is about 2 lovers who enjoy one another’s love and it is saturated with words of action and immediacy, such as “Let us hurry, my love!”, “Rise Up!”, “Make haste!”, “Come away with me my love!” (Song of Solomon 1:4, 2:8, 2:10, 8:14) 

Words of urgency intensify passion.

This fast-paced action sequence of the book reveals the thriving nature of their relationship.

It denotes that there is a deep-rooted longing wanting to be met and it beckons the other to respond with passion and not passivity. To engage in love as soon as possible. That is passionate love. Love that Jesus showed us when came to the earth and died for us giving everything every single day He walked the earth. His love was never static. It was active.

God will give you love that is always with you.

A love that He shows when He pursues you on a daily basis with constant affection, constant communication, constant interaction, constant companionship.

God is a faithful and active lover. He doesn’t recline on His throne. He moves swiftly in how He reigns and how He loves us.

We see His power highlighted at the beginning of this passage in Luke 19. It says “Now Jesus entered Jericho…” verse 1. Jesus entered Jericho, the very city that the Israelites had to walk around 7 times before it would fall.

But Jesus just walks right in.

Why? Because He carries the highest authority. Jesus is God and He can enter into anywhere He wants with ease. I also see how the Israelites trust in the Lord to keep walking for 7 days until the last day marching those 7 laps around the city on the 7th day, blessed that ground for the generations to follow them. So now… Jesus is willing to freely walk into that territory because their ancestors made a way for them to be blessed by the Lord. 

“After the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you this city.” Joshua 6:16

It’s Jesus who gives us the city. Who gives us the territory. Who gives us authority. Who gives us the blessing. Who gives us the victory.

Jesus says in John 14:21, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 

It’s a generational blessing that God anointed on the city of Jericho. If you want a generational blessing on your family, love the Lord with all your heart. Never stop making sacrifices in order to be with Him.

Lovers do whatever it takes to be with one another.

Lovers do whatever it takes to maintain and stir their love.

Lovers are not concerned with propriety and pretense. Rather, they are led by freedom which engenders intimate love where each person is fully known for all they are. They are not afraid to be themselves around the other and to let their whole self be shown, which only deepens the intimacy. 

Zacchaeus received the gift of one-on-one conversation and fellowship with Jesus because He was willing to let himself be shown as outlandish enough to climb up a tree to see the Lord. He acted on the courage he possessed to get closer to Jesus. And it brought intimacy with Him and Jesus. He didn’t know what it would lead to. He had no idea Jesus would come over to his house. He just knew He wanted more of Jesus. And Jesus loves this kind of heart… 

Do you want Jesus to come to your house?

Show God you will do anything for Him. Show Him you will leave behind anything to be close to Him. Show Him you will give everything for your love is real. His love for you is. 

Jesus is waiting for you…

Make a move.