December 5‚ 2023 How Do I Respond to Jesus?JODI HARRIS Lee en español "Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy." Luke 19:6 (NLT) Is anyone here a dog person? For me‚ there's nothing better than coming home after a long day and being greeted by my dog‚ who jumps and licks me like I'm the most important person in the world. These daily doses of relational joy remind me I am seen and delighted in‚ especially on hard days. It's the same feeling I get when I enter a room full of strangers and find a familiar face. My whole body relaxes as their eyes light up and they wave me over. It feels so good to be seen and to belong. I wonder if this might be how it felt when people encountered Jesus in person. In Luke 19:1-10‚ a wealthy man named Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus. He hurried ahead of the crowds and climbed a tree‚ hoping to catch just a glimpse of Him. Not only did he catch a glimpse‚ but Jesus saw Zacchaeus‚ called him out in front of everyone‚ and invited Himself over for dinner. Zacchaeus could have been embarrassed or afraid when Jesus drew attention to him; he was a dishonest and disliked tax collector. He knew he was a sinner‚ undeserving of Jesus' attention. But instead‚ "Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy" (Luke 19:6). Like me in a room full of strangers when my friend waves me over‚ or me with my dog when she rushes to greet me‚ Zacchaeus readily responded to Jesus' invitation for relationship and belonging as he hurried right over. Being invited into the presence of Jesus changed Zacchaeus. As a result‚ he willingly paid back four times the amount to all those he had cheated and gave half his possessions to the poor (Luke 19:8). Just one chapter before‚ though‚ we find a similar story but a very different response to Jesus. In Luke 18:18-23‚ a rich young ruler approached Jesus with a question. He sought affirmation that he'd done everything right to inherit eternal life. But when Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor‚ he walked away sad. He hoped to impress Jesus with his wealth and his works; instead‚ Jesus exposed his misguided heart. Eternal life was standing right in front of this man‚ but he missed it‚ distracted by his own merits and possessions‚ believing those could save him. He missed the opportunity of a relationship with Jesus. But Jesus didn't shame or rebuke him. The gospel of Mark includes this detail: "Jesus looked at him and loved him" (Mark 10:21a‚ NIV). When we come into the presence of Jesus‚ how do we respond? I'd like to say that I'm like Zacchaeus. That I joyfully hurry into His presence‚ knowing Jesus absolutely delights in me. But some days I go to Jesus ashamed‚ afraid He will condemn me for the ways I've messed up. Other times I approach Him overconfidently‚ bragging about how I've served others and how I deserve praise and a prize. Sometimes I respond like the rich young ruler‚ unwilling or fearful to let go of whatever I'm holding on to. Maybe you do the same. But Jesus looks at us and loves us like He loved those two men. We can run excitedly to Him‚ surrendering all‚ as He invites us to be with Him. Today‚ let's choose to earnestly seek Jesus‚ who is waiting to embrace us with joy. Lord‚ You delight in us and are so happy to be with us! Thank You for Your gift of Immanuel‚ God with us‚ this Christmas season. In Jesus' Name‚ Amen.  OUR FAVORITE THINGS For a limited time only‚ when you give to Proverbs 31 Ministries‚ your donation is matched dollar for dollar! Donate today so that together we can reach more women with God's Word. Give here. ENGAGE Connect with today's devotion writer‚ Jodi Harris‚ on her website or on Facebook. FOR DEEPER STUDY Zephaniah 3:17‚ "The LORD your God is with you‚ the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you‚ but will rejoice over you with singing" (NIV). In the comments below‚ share how you're like Zacchaeus or how you're like the rich young ruler. What do you need to surrender to God this Christmas season? Let us know in the comments! © 2023 by Jodi Harris. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews‚ NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post How Do I Respond to Jesus? – Encouragement for Today – December 5‚ 2023 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1590 - Niccolo Sfondrati chosen as Pope Gregory XIV 1741 - -6] Russian princess Elisabeth Petrovna grabs powers 1896 - Henrik Ibsen's play "Kejsor og Galileer" (Emperor and Galilean) premieres in Leipzig 1949 - Ezzard Charles defeats Jersey Joe Walcott for heavyweight boxing title 1957 - William Inge's "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" premieres in NYC 1960 - Ghana drops diplomatic relations with Belgium 1965 - Brunswick Records releases "My Generation"‚ the debut album of British rock group The Who‚ in the UK and Australia 1979 - Ireland premier Jack Lynch resigns 1983 - 12 killed by a car bomb shattering 9-story building in west Beirut 2008 - Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1492 - Christopher Columbus is the first European to sight Hispaniola (modern Dominican Republic and Haiti) 1941 - Patrick Hamilton's "Angel Street" premieres in NYC 1941 - US aircraft carrier Lexington and 5 heavy cruisers leave Pearl Harbor 1955 - Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery‚ Alabama by Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists 1957 - NYC is first US city to legislate against racial or religious discrimination in housing market (Fair Housing Practices Law) 1975 - NASA launches space vehicle S-196‚ it failed More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1914 - Hans Hellmut Kirst‚ German author (The Lieutenant Must Be Mad)‚ born in Osterode‚ Germany (d. 1989) 1932 - James Cleveland‚ American gospel singer‚ born in Chicago‚ Illinois (d. 1991) 1940 - Peter Pohl‚ Swedish writer‚ born in Hamburg‚ Germany 1947 - Rick Wills‚ British bass guitarist (Peter Frampton‚ 1972-74: Foreigner‚ 1977-91)‚ born in Cambridge‚ England 1951 - Tom Purtzer‚ American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles)‚ born in Des Moines‚ Iowa 1965 - Johnny Rzeznik‚ American singer‚ songwriter and guitarist (Goo Goo Dolls)‚ born in Buffalo‚ New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1745 - Christoph Förster‚ German composer‚ dies at 52 1965 - Joseph Erlanger‚ American physiologist (shock therapy-Nobel 1944)‚ dies of heart disease at 91 1995 - Bill Bruton‚ American baseball outfielder (NL stolen bases leader 1953-55 Milwaukee Braves)‚ dies of a heart attack at 70 2001 - Peter Blake‚ New Zealand yachtsman (Whitbread Round the World Race 1989-90; America's Cup 1995‚ 2000) and Special Envoy UN Environment Program‚ killed by pirates on the Amazon River at 53 2008 - Nina Foch‚ Dutch-American actress (The Ten Commandments‚ Spartacus‚ An American in Paris)‚ dies from complications of myelodysplastic syndrome at 84 2008 - Beverly Garland [Fessenden]‚ American actress (My Three Sons‚ Scarecrow and Mrs. King)‚ dies at 82 More Famous Deaths »

Former President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was to blame for Florida State being left out of the College Football Playoff. The former president‚ who is leading in the presidential primary polls as DeSantis is currently in second place‚ made the remarks after the College Football Playoff selection committee selected the four teams that made the playoff: No. 1 Michigan‚ No. 2 Washington‚ No. 3 Texas‚ and No. 4 Alabama. “Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee‚'” Trump‚ who is a resident of Florida‚ said. “They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort … Lets blame DeSanctimonious!!!” However‚ a report from ESPN said that the decision by the committee to exclude Florida State from the playoff had nothing to do with a lack of any sort of lobbying effort. The committee’s decision took exclude Florida State came in-part due to how they struggled to beat Louisville in the ACC Championship Game‚ including struggling to even get first downs in the game. The selection committee — which is comprised former coaches‚ players‚ sitting athletic directors and a former sports reporter — vote repeatedly “on the teams in small batches and continue through the process of voting and debating in groups until the entire list of 25 is compiled‚” ESPN reported. “So it’s not as if they begin talking about Texas and Alabama and vote around them to make it fit. The only time the committee members know the vote is when it’s a tie‚ because they have to vote again.” The report said that the longer the voting went on the more clear it became that Florida State would end up at No. 5 even though things got “heated” in the room. “All of us had the emotional tie‚ like‚ ‘Holy s***‚ this is really going to suck to do this‚'” one committee member told ESPN. “We talked about that over and over‚ and we just kept coming back [to] are they good enough with what they have to win a national championship‚ and it just kept coming back [to] we didn’t think they could.” “People may not believe it‚ but we don’t say‚ ‘Oh gosh‚ if we vote this way‚ the SEC is going to be left out‚” another committee member said. “That never came up. Ever. We literally look at teams‚ put them up against each other‚ and say‚ ‘Who did they beat? Who did they not beat? Who have they beaten on the road? What’s their strength of schedule?’ Look at the matrix and all the data.”