Will You Let Jesus Change You?
Month 9: The Road to Jerusalem · Heart Matters
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 19:8–9
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.
Memory Verse
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””— Luke 19:10 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Daniel 11–12; Hosea 1–2
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 265 of 365 — and Hosea shows God's stubborn, faithful love.)The Heart of It
Jesus came to his house. Then Zacchaeus stood up and said something that changed his whole life. "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay them back four times as much." Think about how big that is. Zacchaeus had grown rich by overcharging people. Now he was giving half of it away. And he was paying back four times what he owed anyone he had cheated. The law only asked him to add a fifth. But love made him far more generous than the rules. Nobody twisted his arm. Meeting Jesus reached right down into the place where his sin lived. That place was his money. And Jesus turned it inside out. That is what real change looks like. It is not just feeling sorry. It is living differently.
So here is the heart matter for us. Will you let Jesus change you? Some people want Jesus to forgive their sins. But they do not want Him to touch their habits. They want a Savior, but not a Lord. Zacchaeus shows us something different. Real turning always moves into our hands and feet and wallet. Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house." He did not say it because Zacchaeus earned it by giving money. He said it because the giving proved the change Jesus had worked in his heart. Change is the fruit. It is not the root. When you really meet Jesus, you do not stay the same. And here is the good news. You do not have to change yourself by gritting your teeth. You open your heart, and Jesus does the changing from the inside.
Around the Table
When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he wanted to give back the money he took. He wanted to share with poor people too. Jesus made his heart kind!
Let's do it: Find one toy or treat to share with a brother, sister, or friend today.
Zacchaeus didn't just say sorry. He did something to make things right.
Let's talk: If you took or broke something, what could you do to actually make it right?
Real repentance reaches into the area where sin lives. For Zacchaeus, that was money. So he changed there.
Let's go deeper: Is there one area where you want forgiveness, but you haven't let Jesus change how you act? What would it look like to give that to Him?
💬 Conversation Starter
Saying "I'm sorry" is easy. What is the hardest part about actually fixing something you did wrong?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some people say Christians are fakers who never really change. But the gospel never promised that we would be perfect right away. It promises a new direction. Think of Zacchaeus turning his whole money-life around. Lives that change over time are some of the best proof that Jesus is alive.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Zacchaeus shows the Wesleyan rhythm of grace beautifully. Grace seeks him. Grace saves him. And grace works out through him into paying things back and giving generously. Notice the order, so you can teach it clearly. He is not saved because he repays fourfold. He repays fourfold because salvation has come. Yet the fruit is not optional. A faith that never reaches the hands is, as James warns, dead (). As a dad, here is your gentle test for your kids and for yourself. Not "do you feel bad?" but "are you willing to make it right?" Build a home where apologies come with action. Returned items, repaired hurts, restored relationships. That is repentance you can see, and it trains the conscience for life.
Draws on: John Wesley, "The Scripture Way of Salvation" (Sermon 43).
Let's Pray Together
"Jesus, we don't want to only say sorry. We want to be changed. Come into the places we try to keep for ourselves. Make us new from the inside. Give us courage to make things right. In Jesus' name, amen."
When I truly meet Jesus, I don't stay the same. His grace changes me, hands and heart.