Luke 19:10 "Seek and Save" on this week's Word of Grace Devotional with Pastor Joe Marquez

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of April 18, 2016
Seek and Save
Luke 19:10- “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Beloved, Jesus had a purpose when He came to earth; He came to seek and save the lost. If you follow Jesus, then His purpose must be your purpose.
Unfortunately, many churches have forgotten their Savior’s purpose: to seek and to save those who are lost. Many churches have become a bless me club or an elite country club seeking only their own needs instead of the lost. Beloved, Jesus left us here on earth to fulfill His purpose. His purpose is our purpose as Jude 1:22-23 says, we must, “Have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
The Lord Jesus always kept in mind the purpose of His coming to earth stated in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus is stating this purpose in response to the crowd, which grumbled that He had gone to be the guest of a sinner, the chief tax collector, Zaccheus. Jesus is saying, “Precisely! I am going to be the guest of a great sinner because that is the express reason I came to this earth as the Son of Man: to seek and to save those who are lost in sin.”
Beloved, if you had taken a poll in Israel in Jesus’ day, you would have found that tax collectors were not popular fellows! They were the scum of the earth. For personal gain they served Rome, taking unfair advantage of their own countrymen. Zaccheus was not just a tax collector, but also a chief tax collector, which made people despise the man all the more. The average tax-paying citizen would have said, “If I could get that little runt alone in a dark alley, if he lived through it, he would go into another occupation!”
However, Zaccheus’ story shows us the salvation of a rich man by God’s grace and power. Beloved, if you follow Jesus, then His purpose must be your purpose. If you do not yet follow Jesus, then Zaccheus’ response to Jesus should be your response. You should repent and give your life to Jesus. The result will be your salvation as it was for Zaccheus in Luke 19:9, “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.”
I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!
 
In Christ,
Pastor Joe