When you know God’s love for you, it will cause you to run to Him instead of hide from Him.

Gospel Corner

12/11/25

Joel Osteen Ministries
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
Luke 19:5, NLT

Come Down
As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus may have been the most despised person in the crowd waiting to see Jesus. He made his living and got wealthy by cheating other people out of their money. His whole life he had pushed others down to get what he wanted. He didn’t care about the damage he did to others; he cared about what he could take from them. He was an expert at getting the upper hand. Nevertheless, he was the one whom Jesus called out that day. Jesus was saying, “Zacchaeus, I want to turn your life around. You’ve made a lot of bad choices, but that’s not who you are. It’s time for you to be honest and face what you’ve done. But you have to come down and meet with Me.” Zacchaeus did, and soon after he took responsibility for his wrongs, Jesus said, “Today, salvation has come to your house.”

Do you need to come down from your tree, meet with Jesus, and honestly deal with some issues in your life today? He’s calling your name. His saving help is for the humble.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that even though You know everything about me, You still invite Yourself to come to my house and bring the gift of salvation. Thank You that it’s about Your love for me, about humbling myself so that You can make changes in my life. Welcome to my house. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Beloved, if you want to have faith for your breakthrough, make sure you are hearing and believing right about God through the word of Christ. By the way, in Romans 10:17, it is the word of Christ, not the word of God, as written in some Bible translations. The Greek word used here is Christos for Christ.

What’s the difference? The word of Christ refers to the word of the new covenant, the word of His grace.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul says, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). What is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among the saints? It is the word of His grace or the word of Christ. The Bible exhorts us to “Let the word of Christ [Christos] dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16).

So if you’re feeling discouraged, I encourage you to keep hearing messages full of the grace and finished work of our Lord Jesus as was proclaimed by the apostle Paul. This was what the crippled man in Acts 14:8–10 did.

Whatever your circumstances, keep hearing about how your sins have all been forgiven through Christ and how you are today the righteousness of God in Christ. Whatever the prognosis you’ve heard, keep hearing about how much God loves you and wants to be a loving Father to you, to watch over you, provide for you, and deliver you from all your fears and afflictions.

My friend, when you give priority to this daily, you will have the word of Christ dwelling richly in you. And it is this word of His grace that will impart faith and hope to you.

When you know God’s love for you, it will cause you to run to Him instead of hide from Him. His love upon you and in you will make you strong. It will cause you to overcome every temptation and fear, slay your giants, and live life with greater boldness and victory!