Open your Bible and read Luke 19:1-10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:10 · ESVZacchaeus was not a lovable rogue. He collected taxes for an occupying army from his own people and skimmed the difference. Every coin he owned came out of a neighbor's pocket.
Jesus stops under the tree, calls him by name, and invites himself over for dinner. The crowd hates it. Then Zacchaeus stands up and gives half of everything away and pays back fourfold what he stole.
Watch the order carefully, because it is the whole point. The dinner invitation came first. The change came second. He was not made presentable and then accepted. He was accepted, and it wrecked him in the best possible way.
If some part of you has been waiting to be a better person before you take this seriously, this story says you have the sequence backwards.
Do this today
Ask yourself whether you have been waiting to improve before you look into this honestly.
An honest thing to say to God
“I do not have to fix myself first to ask an honest question.”