THE CHAIN CALLED 'RELIGION'

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). 

One of the most terrible captivity God must deliver mankind from is the bondage of religion. The worst chain in my opinion is to be chained to religion. When someone is bound to a set of religious beliefs which cannot save him, such a person truly needs to be set free. Religion may be defined as any belief system put together by man in his attempt to worship God. Ultimately, religion happens when man sets apart God's laid out pattern of coming to Him and sets up his own process to worship God according to man's precepts. Such may make religionists out of men but will never raise true worshippers of the one and only true God. 

I HAVE A GOOD NEWS FOR YOU

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). 

There are several themes that could be explored in the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. But the one that caught my fancy at this time is the surprise element in the story. What a pleasant surprise it must have been for chief Zacchaeus when Jesus said, "I'm coming with you to your house!" All that the man wanted was merely to catch a glimpse of Jesus. But now, he had the opportunity of a full view of the Master. Beyond that, he had the honour of receiving Jesus in his house, sitting at the same table and dinning with Him. It was a real pleasant surprise and I'm sure that Zacchaeus would have treasured the memory of that awesome event for the rest of his life. 

What would you be remembered for?

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof" (Nehemiah 13:14). 

Every living being has two kinds of a past. There is the past that already is, and there is another past that is yet to be, but shall be. The first is gone, already completely out of our control. But the second 'past' is still in formation and can, to a reasonable extent, be created to our taste. Today is the womb from which tomorrow shall be born. But it is also the beginning of what shall be called 'yesterday' tomorrow, the beginning of the 'past' that shall be. The past is no more than the offspring of the present. When you are conscious of the present and you do what is right in the present, you create a past that shall come to be. The question is, what kind of a past would you want to follow you? Put differently, what would you want to be remembered for? 

REACH OUT FOR A TOUCH 1

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid" (Matthew 17:7). 

Jesus had led three of His disciples into a mountain where He was transfigured before them. The Bible says His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. Then Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared on the scene, talking with Him. This spiritual encounter completely overwhelmed the disciples and they fell on their faces. But the Jesus came and touched them, with an instruction to get up and come out of their shock. That was the Master's touch. It was a touch that produced a lifting. That touch brought strength to the disciples, raising them from the ground and setting them back on their feet. 

Today, the Lord is still in the business of touching people and putting them back on their feet. That invisible hand of the Lord is available everywhere to touch those who would believe and make them whole. Sometimes, it is troubles or persecutions that overwhelm us and get us down. It could even be the stress of life and making a living that gets the better of us and knocks us down. Maybe it's your business, your marriage, or even your spiritual life that is broken down. The Master's touch can fix it and put smiles back on your face. The Master's touch can reverse the irreversible. It can bring hope where there is no hope. 

REACH OUT FOR A TOUCH 2

"And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" (Mark 5:30).

The Bible is full of instances where Jesus touched people and they received definite divine intervention because of the Master's touch. But on the other hand, we also have a number of instances wherein it is people who reached out to the Master with a touch of faith. The well-known story of the woman with the issue of blood is a classical example. This was a woman whose menstrual flow did not stop for at least twelve years. She had visited many physicians, gone through countless medical procedures, swallowed medications upon medications, and spent all that she had in the process. But she never got better, not even a little. Rather, she got worse. 

Apparently, she also must have visited many prophets and spiritual houses. She must have prayed all manner of prayers. When that didn't work, she must have added fasting, in spite of her physical weakness. She must have recited all the Psalms and other Scriptures she knew and those that were recommended for her. But none of these brought her any relief. With no money left, no cure for her ailment, and no hope that things would get better, her's must have been a very miserable life. It would have been no surprise if she had contemplated suicide. 

DE-BAGGAGE

"He has dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour" (Psalms 112:9). 

Travelling with excess luggage has never been a wise thing to do when on a journey. Apart from the physical inconveniences, excess luggage take up spaces that could have been put to better use. Excess loads could also mean additional cost of transportation. And when you manage to reach your destination with all the excess loads, you will eventually find that you have used the resources you need to convey the things you really don't need. Wasted efforts and wasted resources are the typical results of travelling with excess baggage, especially when you really don't need the items. 

So it is with the journey of life. Too often, the average person carries with him things he hardly ever needs. Our wardrobes are filled with clothes we have not put on in the last one year or more. Displayed on our shoe racks are shoes we have not used, sometimes for years. Some of us have jewelleries we have not even looked at for a long while. Move into our kitchens and you find pots that have not seen the burners for years. Our cabinets contain plates, cups and cutleries that have not been privileged to visit the dining room for many, many years. These things ought not to be. 

DE-BAGGAGING PROCESS

But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” (Luke 19:8, New English Translation). 

I like the man Zacchaeus. When he met the Lord Jesus, he just knew that certain things must change and that life should no longer be business as usual. Without being told, he immediately commenced a 'de-baggaging' process to free his life of things that could slow down his spiritual journey. Of particular interest here is that Zacchaeus wasn't going to continue living with things that didn't belong to him. He just wanted to do away with anything he had not acquired legitimately. He wanted to urgently clean house and remove from his life the things that were not his. 

Friends, there are certain things that must not proceed with you in the journey of life, particularly at such a time as this. There are some needless load that must not come with you into your future, lest they destroy the glorious things God has in store for you. What do you have in your custody that you do not truly possess? What is in your hand that belongs to another? What office are you occupying that you took up through intrigues? What is lying in your house that rightfully belongs to another household? And who is lying in your bosom that belongs in another's bosom?