COMING UP SHORT
By: Pastor., John B. Neal
“Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for he was going to pass that way,” (St. Luke 19: 1-4).
People come up short on a great many things, in our lives from day to day, but we should never come up short in our walk with the Lord. Like Zacchaeus, who was determined to see Jesus, no matter what it takes, we must also find a way. Zacchaeus being small of stature, and in a large crowd, I’m sure felt like a small fish in a large ocean, but he had to find a way to see Jesus, and we must be just as determined. If God has given us a mountain in our lives, and if He does not show us a way over the mountain, then we have to find a way around the mountain. Zacchaeus did it the hard way, but he did it, he saw Jesus, because he made an effort. We also must put forth some effort, if we want to see Jesus. If it takes giving up something of the world, then give it up. It will be worth it all one day, when we see Jesus.
The Lord Jesus is passing by, don’t let him pass you by, because you failed to put forth that extra effort, don’t miss out on seeing Him some day. Zacchaeus did the only thing he knew to do, if he wanted to see Jesus, and he did. He knew he had to come up higher. Do we feel the need within our own self to come up higher, or do we feel that we have all ready reached perfection? Do we feel we are coming up short in our walk with the Lord? If we do, then we should do something about it. What? you ask. We don’t have to climb a sycamore tree like Zacchaeus, but we can Pray more, as though your soul depended on it, for it does. Read more of God’s word, meditate more on God’s word, climb that gospel ladder each and every day. Not just on Sunday, when we feel we are suppose to, but every day we need to come up higher in the Lord, for our soul salvation depends on it. It is the difference between the first or the second resurrection, between heaven or hell.
What would have happened to Zacchaeus , if not for a sycamore tree. He would not have been able to see Jesus. St. Luke 19: 5 tells us “Jesus looked up and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at your house.” If Zacchaeus had not have made that effort and climb the sycamore tree, Jesus would not have seen him. How many people don’t make that extra effort to see Jesus, and gets passed by, because they are coming up short. It is too late in God’s time table to be fooling anyone, especially our own selves. Coming up short is not an option.
Do we seek Jesus with our whole heart? Do we put forth that extra effort to come up higher in the Lord? Do we know who Jesus is? He is coming this way again, when he descends from heaven to catch his chosen people up to meet him in the air. Are you ready to meet Jesus, or are you coming up short?
Zacchaeus could have said, I can’t get through this crowd, I may as well give up and go back home. No. He did not let the crowd stop him from seeing Jesus. He did not let the fact that he was a small, short man stop him. He found a way, he came up higher so he could see over the crowd. He was determined to see Jesus. How determined are we? A lot of people will dress up on Sunday and go to church or a building, and sing the songs of praise to the Lord, pay tithes and offerings, and the other six days, forget all about Jesus until next Sunday. What are we trying to accomplish? Do we just want someone to see how religious we are? If we are not serious about our salvation, then we are on the wrong journey. It’s time to be honest with ourselves, just what are we trying to attain, a home in heaven, or a certain pew in the church building? Do we take time during our busy day to think about the coming of the Lord? Do we every think about those gates of pearls, the streets of gold, the walls of Jasper? Oh, how beautiful heaven must be. I can’t speak for you, but I know I want walk those streets of gold with my Savior.
It’s time to either get right with the Lord, or be left behind, to become lost in the crowd. You say, why do I have to put forth an effort, Jesus paid it all on the cross of Calvary? That is true, Jesus took our sins to the cross that day. And your sins are covered by his blood if you repent of your sins, and seek him with all your heart. For Jesus knows our sincerity. Don’t fool yourself, and miss heaven, regardless of what you have been told, you do have to put forth some effort. How are you going to be covered by his blood, unless you are baptized in his name. How else is his blood going to be applied to your soul. And how else are you going to receive the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance, unless you put forth some effort.
Deuteronomy 4: 29 “But if from there you will seek the Lord your God, Thou shalt find Him if thou seek Him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.”
II Chronicles 15: 2 “......If thou seek Him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” Times may have changed, men, may have changed, but Jesus remains the same, He is the same, yesterday, today, and for evermore.
If we realize that we are coming up short, then we, like Zacchaeus; must come up higher. We need to know where we stand with the Lord, for the Bible is a mirror, we look into it and find answers, that tells us right where we stand if we are truthful with ourselves. I speak to the ones that have not attained Perfection, that have not been, like Paul, to the third heaven. There are some who believe that they have come as high as they can, and they can’t come any higher. Why? Has the catching away of God people already taken place? May God help the boastful, the arrogant, the high mined, that walk around as if to say see “How great I am?” I would like to ask them, “Have you prayed an angel out of heaven as Cornelius did, and he wasn’t even a preacher. When did any of them raise anyone from the dead? Or walked on the water, or even so much as turn water into wine? There are many that say they are ready to go, if Jesus should come, but when that trumpet sounds, then what? Friend, brethren and sisters let us all strive to come up higher, that we might see Jesus. Let us put forth that extra effort, it’s not too hard, if we truly want to see Jesus. Come out of the shadows, come up higher in the Lord. Don’t ever stop striving for a closer walk with Jesus. May God bless.
