Everyday Heroes: Scramblers
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable due to the crowd, because he was short in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him, because He was about to pass through that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down, and received Him joyfully. When the people saw this, they all began to complain, saying, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner!” But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am giving back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:1-10 (NASB)
Everyday heroes are plucky scramblers. To scramble is 'to struggle eagerly or unceremoniously for possession of something; to get or gather something with difficulty or in irregular ways' (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Scrambling for what? The ball, the score, the break, or the blessing.
Scrambling how? Hustle!
They give up decorum and forget image.
They push back against the flow of culture.
They ditch traditional expectations.
They don’t care what people may think or say.
They find a new way. They sing a new song!
With directions coming straight from the Top (and a cool plan no one but God could guess)… they go above and beyond manmade paths to follow their God-given destinies!
Extraordinary God-powered effort yields EXTRAORDINARILY grand blessings!
Consider Jacob. He scrambled with God in a wrestling match. God tested Jacob’s resolve when He said:,
' 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' But he [Jacob] said, 'I will not let You go, unless You bless me!' ' (Genesis 32:26).
Or the four men with a paralyzed friend. They scrambled up a roof with a stretcher:
‘They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus’ (Mark 2:4)/
Or the woman with the issue of blood. She scrambled to touch the Healer’s hemline:
'When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment' (Mark 5:27).
Or the woman of Canaan, a Gentile. Desperate for Christ to save her daughter, she scrambled to debate the Word, Himself!
'He answered and said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' And she said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table' ' (Matthew 15:26-27).
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Whether you’re forced to uncover a roof,
Climb a tree to see something wonderful
Push through a sea of faces to get booked,
Put an unusual spin on a script…
REFUSE TO QUIT, no matter the pressure…
Scramble! Be inventive! Be persistent! Go the extra mile to follow God’s call!
Everyday Heroes: Scramblers (Part 15)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God– to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.
WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!