Making it right

If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.  — Luke 19:8

It was a perfect day for our garage sale — bright and warm. People rummaged through clothing, paperbacks, and mismatched dishes. I noticed a young woman looking at a string of white beads. A few minutes later, the necklace vanished along with its admirer. I spotted her in the street, jogged the length of my driveway, and discovered the missing jewelry nestled in her palm. As we faced each other with the knowledge of what had happened, she volunteered to pay for the stolen item.

Zacchaeus, the tree-climbing tax collector, met Jesus and was changed. He vowed to repay four times the amount of MONEY he had dishonestly taken from others (Luke 19:8). In those days, tax collectors frequently overcharged citizens and then pocketed the extra funds. Zacchaeus’ eagerness to pay back the money and to donate half of what he owned to the poor showed a significant change of heart. He had once been a taker, but after meeting Jesus he was determined to make restoration and be a giver.

Zacchaeus’ example can inspire us to make the same kind of change. When God reminds us about items we have taken, taxes left unpaid, or ways we have wronged others, we can honor Him by making it right.

                   — Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Help me, dear Lord,

to be honest and true

In all that I say and all that I do;

Give me the courage to do what is right

To bring to the world a glimpse

of Your light. —Fasick

READ: Luke 19:1-10

A debt is never too old for an honest person to pay.