Though Zacchaeus came with baggage, Jesus’ decision to love anyway completely changed Zacchaeus’ life for the better.
Jesus loved the rich young ruler enough to offer him a way out of rule-following by asking him to make a decision to be close to him.
Loving God with all your soul is important; Jesus says it is part of the first and greatest commandment.
The Bible defines humility as getting beyond ourselves and instead securing our neighbors’ interests first.
A defining characteristic of a Christian in the first-century church was having a heart for God, which inspired them to have a teachable spirit
Asking God for self-discipline won’t amount to much if your motive is not to love others.
Motivation to build relationships happens when we are moved by God’s love and have the courage to face our fears.
We all long for unconditional acceptance and closeness. It all starts with learning to develop intimacy with God.
Being vulnerable with God means being comfortable with our weaknesses because we know God’s power is greater than any of our weaknesses or flaws and that all our strength and courage comes from God. There’s freedom knowing that God loves us no matter what and can make us strong despite our weaknesses or insecurities.
Humble people have room to love. When we’re humble we are able to love God and others more because we think their lives are equally valuable to our own.
It is easy to try to rely on something as tangible as money for security. What are times in your life when you have faced guilt or regret, and relied on wealth or money, rather than turning to God for forgiveness?
Once our faith in God is strong, it becomes easy to overcome the temptation to be cynical in human relationships.