Hello everyone, this is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Thank you so much for joining us today. Now, as we

approach the new year, it's really a great time to reflect on your relationship with God, what's behind you, and what's ahead.

And that's why Pastor Rick has a timely and powerful message called How Much You Matter to God.

Now, if you've ever doubted your value or wondered about your place in God's plan, this message is for you.

So, let's get right to Rick with part two of today's message.

Jesus is walking through Jericho that day, and of all the people he stops to talk to,

and of all the people he pays attention to, and of all the people, he invites himself to their home, He chooses the most unloved, the most disrespected, the most evil, the most unappreciated person in the entire city, a guy named Zacchaeus.

Now, he's walking through town,

and when he comes to the tree that Zacchaeus is in, he stops, he looks up and he says,

Zakias, I want you to come down.

Now, this story teaches us four truths about how much you matter to God.

You need to write these down.

Four truths about how much you matter to God. Number one, the first thing we learn

is that no matter how small I feel, Jesus notices me. No matter how small I feel, Jesus notices me.

Now, as I said, Zacchaeus is very wealthy, but he's very lonely. And so when he

comes, he hears Jesus has come to city. He wants to see him. But being so short, he can't get a glimpse.

So he does two things that no Middle Eastern wealthy man would ever do. First thing, he runs. He runs ahead of the crowd. Now, in those days,

running was for slaves. No wealthy, self-respecting Middle Eastern man would run, but Zacchaeus doesn't

care. He runs ahead of the crowd and he finds a tree, a sycamore tree, and he climbs up in a tree.

Second thing he does, he climbs up in a tree.

No self-respecting Middle Eastern businessman would climb up in a tree.

That's what you have a slave do.

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