daily devotional

What is in your way? What is blocking you from moving forward in your life? Are you ready and willing to start climbing over that today? As a teenager growing up I used to bellyache to my mama about any little thing I didn’t like in my life and she would sit and listen, then once I was finished going on and on about how bad it was she would say “ahhhhhh, get over it.” Every time that was her advice. Get over it.

What’s wrong in your world today? Will you get over it, or will you get under it? Will you rise above it, or will you lower your expectations, hunker down in fear and lay low while life passes you by? Why would you ever get UNDER your problems? Yet, that’s exactly what we do when we chose not to get over it. Whatever is in your way, I’m telling you today is the day to start getting over it. Start climbing.

In Luke 19: 1-6 We read about a man who got over the things that were in his way.
“Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd.”

What did Zacchaeus want? He wanted to see Jesus. And scripture says he wanted it desperately. When you want something desperately you’re willing to do things you wouldn’t normally do. What do you want desperately? Oh, there’s the problem. We’ve learned to insulate ourselves out of fear of failure and rejection so we’re not even allowed to want anything desperately anymore. We feel it’s safer to just “kinda” want something. If you only kinda want it and you don’t get it, then it only kinda hurts. We kinda live the life we want. We kinda find our purpose. We kinda feel fulfilled. We’re kinda getting better, but kinda not. And it’s all a result of kinda wanting it. Where’s your “desperately”? When you desperately want it, you’ll be moved to action. You’ll find the courage to do big things.

That’s what Zacchaeus had. He had some desperate want in him. He wanted to see Jesus. But there was something in his way. Every time you desperately want something, there will be something else in your way. Obstacles are part of life. God never said it would be easy, in fact he promised you otherwise. He told you “in this world there will be trouble.” Well, he nailed that one didn’t he. Jesus you were right, in this world, I do have trouble and every time I really want something, there’s something in my way. Hey that’s life … and maybe it’s by design.

Let’s pick back up in verse 4 of our story: “So Zacchaeus ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”

Zacchaeus was a small man. So small he couldn’t see over the shoulders of the people in front of him. The crowd of people was in his way. It was stopping him from that which he desperately wanted. So he did what could do, he climbed up in a tree.
He climbed above the very thing blocking him from his vision. He climbed above it. Did you get that? He got over it.

Just as my mama always told me – whatever your problem is, GET OVER IT! Mama, that was scriptural! Her advice was grounded in the words of Jesus. Get over it!
Some of us need to do some climbing today. We’ve got a problem and we need to get over it – literally. What’s the first step in climbing? Well, you gotta get up, again literally. Your feet need to hit the floor. You can’t be laying around all lazy and drag butty expecting to overcome your obstacles. You won’t see what you want to see in your life unless you get up. You will never get what you really want if you’re not even up for it.
And when you get up and start working to overcome your adversity, when you climb up on top of that which has stopped you in the past, you get a different perspective. When you’re down, all you can see are the problems. When you climb out and get over it, you can actually SEE WHAT GOD HAS AVAILABLE FOR YOU. If you can’t see what God has for you, then my sister, you’re currently under your problems when you need to get over them. Climb up and get that new perspective. What God has for you is so much bigger and better than where you’re currently at and what you’re currently experiencing. But the climbing is up to you. No one will make you do it.

And when you decide to get over it and start climbing, something else happens. You not only get a view of what God has for you, but God sees you. Oh God always sees you, but when you start getting over your problems, he sees you want it. He sees you are ready for more. He sees you no longer want to settle with where you’ve always been and what you’ve always had. And when God sees you, your whole world is about to change.

Jesus was passing through the crowd and who does he see … little Zaccheaus. Of course he stood out – he was the crazy one up in the tree. The one willing to do what no one else did just to see him. The one who got over his problem. Ahhhhh, Jesus is looking for people with some Zaccheaus tenacity in them today. Some people willing to do what no one else will do. Some people willing to rise above the crowd, take a risk, go out on a limb. The one willing to get over their problem. And when we do, we receive an invitation. An invitation that changes our destiny.

Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Ahhhh, Jesus wants to hang out. It’s a sleep over. Jesus chose his house. Why? Because Zacchaeus was willing to do whatever he had to do to get into position when Jesus came by.

Get into position. Say that with me. Get into position. Say it again. Get into position. Get into position. You’re not in position. Get up and climb over your problem. Do what no one else is willing to do. Risk looking a little crazy. Get into position. Jesus wants to bless you. He wants to pour out his best on you.

But when you lazy around in your day, when you fail to get up and look your best and do your best, it’s a little questionable if you really WANT Jesus to bless you. Have you been letting the obstacles in front of you defeat you? Have you been allowing past defeat to keep you down? Have you gotten under your problems instead of getting over them? Your current position may make you look like you don’t really want what God has available to you. If you’ll chose to start climbing and get over it, you’ll position yourself to receive God’s blessing.

God’s looking around the crowd today. He’s looking for who is really ready. Let him see YOU! Let him see you desperately want it, you’re ready for it, and you’re in position to receive it. You are ready for more. You are ready for that breakthrough. You are in position now … what’s the position, you’re over it!