Zacchaeus, the Christian Busnessman 10-6-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are in my heart and I am in Your hands. Live in me and live through me today. … “A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich…. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome Him…. Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today, salvation has come to this house…’ ” (Luke 19:2-9). Zacchaeus was a busnessman. And he was a good one—if “good” means “successful” and “successful” means “rich.” But it seems he was in business for himself, building his own empire by his own means for his own purposes. Then one day he met Jesus, and all of that changed. Things were set right in his heart, and now he couldn’t wait to set things right with others. He no longer saw his possessions as his property to be used for his purposes, but as blessings of God to be used for the purposes of the Kingdom of God. He was now a Christian businessman, with a happy heart, a clear conscience, and a powerful witness of a changed life. Last night, Andrea and I shared our testimonies of our changed lives with the men and women who gathered a hotel meeting of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association of Angelsey in north Wales. And we found, as we always do, that no matter what nation we’re from or what occupation we have, people need Jesus in their hearts. And people need Jesus in their hurts, from living life in a broken, fallen world. As I prayed over the people and Heather sang over the people, Your Holy Spirit moved in a powerful but gentle way among us all, changing hearts and healing hurts. One of the leaders told us with great joy how he’d carried something buried deep down inside his heart for twenty-eight years that You touched and healed last night. Truly his heart, his business, and his ministry to You and to the people of Your Kingdom will never be the same. How You want what happened in his heart for every one of our hearts. Your business is the business of healing hearts and changing lives. And by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit moving in us and moving through us, Your business is our business, wherever You position us for the purposes of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. Today we'll be praying for the owners and patrons at a Christian business, sharing at a Bible Study and Prayer Meeting tonight, and encountering God in His divine appointments of personal ministry all along the way. Thank you for helping us in all the ways you join us in fulfilling our calling of "Preparing the way of the Lord ... Ministering the healing love of God" at home and abroad. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com We now have about 210 Prayer Partners on our Team standing with us in prayer and covering us in ministry every day! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!