Tek SengDr. Tan

DAILY REFLECTION

8 Dec 2025

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭

True transformation is radical, Spirit-driven, and wholly Christ-centered.

Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector notorious for exploiting his own people, was molded by greed and defined by dishonesty. Yet, when Jesus entered Jericho, Zacchaeus learned that no wall was too high and no heart too broken for Christ’s transforming grace.

Out of curiosity, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree, but what he encountered was more than miraculous. Jesus called him by name out of pure love. When Jesus declared, “Zacchaeus, come down. I must stay at your house today,” the old Zacchaeus began to die. That moment became a turning point, piercing his heart with both the weight of his sin and the warmth of grace that embraced him.

His response was radical: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times the amount.”

This was not just obligation; it reflected a completely new nature. Christ had entered his life, and now Zacchaeus lived differently because Someone new resided within him.

The old Zacchaeus died.
A new Zacchaeus arose.
Christ now lived in him.

Galatians 2:20 reminds us  that Christianity is not self-effort but Christ-in-us; not striving for acceptance but living from the acceptance already secured through the cross. It is a daily surrender to the One who now lives within us.

“True form of worship is Self-surrender to God.”