“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham’. ‘ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ ” - Luke 19:7-10

One of the keys to meeting Jesus in life is to make restitution at all times. For as long as we live, we must be prepared to make restitution after each repentance. Our Restitution forms the seeds of a new beginning, after we are repented and are forgiven of our sins. The word of God today tells us that: 1. Zacchaeus felt inwardly guilty of defrauding people, 2) he was remorseful over his past actions, and 3) he was committed to making restitution. From Jesus’ response, it is clear that: 1) Zacchaeus was saved that day and his sin was forgiven, and 2) the evidence of his salvation was both his public confession and willingness to give back those things he wrongly acquired. We are called to imitate Zacchaeus as true Christians each time we fall under the influence of sins. As true Christians, we should strive to make restitution each time we repent of our sins. Genuine repentance must be accompanied by a desire to redress wrongs.

Although, there are some wrongs that cannot be adequately restituted, in such instances, we should strive to make a form of restitution that demonstrates our repentance, but at the same time, we should not feel guilty about our inability to make full restitution. Restitution paves way for full encounter with Christ. Restitution also brings peace between us and those we offended; it builds trust and confidence. But, we must be very careful as we live so as not to fall victim of our regular laws. If we are caught breaking any law, the law will require us to make restitution and/or serve a penalty under the law, this is regardless of whether we repent or not. Therefore, live with care and strict obedience to your regular laws in other that you are not humiliated by the law enforcement Agencies. However, if for whatever reason you don’t get caught, God will eventually hold it against you on the Day of Judgment, unless you repent and seek His forgiveness. If you repent, He expects you to make restitution voluntarily by going to the person you have wronged and making it good with him/her.

Father in the name of Jesus Christ, today I receive strength to overcome my sinful disposition. I receive strength to reconcile and make peace with everyone. I declare I am not held down as a result of my sins. I declare I am set free by thy Grace. For this reason, Jesus Christ was manifested; to destroy the effects of sins in my life. Therefore, I say Abba Father, for I am delivered indeed! AMEN.