My Month Of Prosperity! 3Jn1:2

The character we are interested in this morning is called Zacchaeus, and his story will help us to understand that material wealth is not enough to enter the kingdom of God.
Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, he was rich but his environment did not like him, his fellow citizens despised him, rejected him because of his compromises with money and power.
For many, he was a sinner who stole from others to enrich himself.
All that mattered to Zacchaeus was his wealth, his appearance, his honours.
As long as he enjoyed his prestige with his pockets full, it was no problem for him.
But one day, Jesus arrived in Jericho and it wasn’t the first time.
There was a commotion in the town, Jesus was passing through, he had already healed a blind man and everyone wanted to see him.
Imagine the crowds crowding the streets to see Jesus.
But Zacchaeus, the emblem of success, was also thirsty. He wanted to see Jesus, but he was hindered by the crowd because he was small in stature.
Zacchaeus was not discouraged, but ran and climbed a tree.
He keeps his distance and satisfies his curiosity.
Zacchaeus has no intentions,
he doesn’t even want Jesus to visit him,
he wants nothing, just to see Jesus.
But the Bible says that Jesus stops, looks up at Zacchaeus and meets his eyes.
Jesus sees in his eyes a desire for change, for a visit.
Jesus does not judge him, he does not condemn him, but he wants to stay in his house.
Jesus’ entry into Zacchaeus’ life enables this man to understand that earthly riches are not enough in life.
Zacchaeus’ eyes and heart are opened to the injustice he may have done to the people he mistreated and left in misery.
The encounter with Jesus transformed Zacchaeus’ relationship with money and made him realise that he had to detach himself from his possessions in order to attach himself fully to God.
So Zacchaeus decided to give half his possessions to the poor.
We need to know that God can perform the miracle of converting and saving a rich man without necessarily reducing him to poverty.
Jesus does not condemn wealth but the misuse of wealth.
Proverbs, 23:5 – Do you want to pursue with your eyes what is about to disappear? For wealth makes itself wings, and like an eagle it flies to heaven.
Pray never to pursue wealth.
Isn’t it both stupid and tragic to spend our time looking for what is temporary, volatile, unstable and short-term, and to apply our intelligence against all the evidence?
Chasing after wealth will only exhaust us…
Let’s stop looking for junk and turn to God to gather from him what remains for eternity.
Good day to you all
Good day https://youtu.be/3b7RffN3eKI?si=Hy4AP3ab8Z_mPel9