Sometimes people remember the worst thing you have done, the mistake you made, or the label someone else gave you — and forget the person underneath it.

Zacchaeus knew what it was like to be written off. A tax collector, disliked by the people around him, he was desperate just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. So he climbed a sycamore tree. But Jesus did something Zacchaeus probably never expected. He stopped, called him by name, and chose to go to his house — despite the crowd grumbling that Jesus was going to the home of a sinner.

What makes this story in Luke 19 so powerful for our lives today? Jesus did not allow public opinion to determine how He saw Zacchaeus. He did not ask Zacchaeus to fix his reputation before He came near him. Instead, love came first. And that love produced a response — Zacchaeus repented, gave generously to the poor, and made restitution to those he had wronged.

Jesus Himself said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12)

Grace moves toward the people everyone else writes off.

And underneath all of this is one foundation: love.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love our neighbour as ourselves. On these two commandments, He said, depend the whole Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37–40)

The Bible tells us that faith, hope, and love remain — but the greatest of these is love. We spoke about faith when David stood before Goliath. We spoke about hope when a man suffering from leprosy believed Jesus could change his situation. And today, we come to love.

But why is love the greatest?

Because, as 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us, love never fails.

And what does love actually look like? The Bible does not leave us guessing. 1 Corinthians 13 describes love through patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, perseverance, and putting others before ourselves.

So what does it look like to choose love when someone has judged you? When a relationship is difficult? When someone has disappointed you? And what happens when we allow God's definition of love — rather than the world's — to shape the way we live?

Perhaps love really is the one thing that holds everything together.

Subscribe so you don't miss what comes next, share this episode with someone who feels judged or written off, and leave a review if this message encouraged you.

What is one relationship where you can choose love first today?

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Sometimes you can reach a point where you've tried everything, prayed every prayer, and don't know where else to turn.

You feel overlooked.
Pushed aside.
Alone.
Exhausted from carrying something that doesn't seem to change.

The Bible talks about a man who is covered with leprosy, with no way left to lead a normal life.
Rejected from everywhere, he went to Jesus only to ask -

“Lord, if You are willing, make me clean.”

He asks a question that sounds remarkably like so many prayers we carry silently.

What happens when you come to Jesus with nothing left but hope?

In this episode, we slow down and look closely at this powerful encounter between Jesus and the leper. Jesus doesn't keep His distance from the person everyone else avoids.

He reaches out and touches him.

Why does that touch matter?

Because Jesus didn't simply restore his skin. He restored his sense of worth, dignity, and belonging.

And then Jesus says the words that change everything:

“I am willing. Be cleansed.”

So what does this story mean for us today?

• What do you do when you feel rejected, overlooked, or not good enough?
• Where do you turn when you've tried everything and nothing seems to be working?
• What happens when loneliness, spiritual dryness, addiction, or a health battle leaves you feeling stuck?
• And can we really approach Jesus exactly as we are?

If you're looking for encouragement, a faith-filled reminder of God's willingness, or simply need to place your hope at Jesus' feet again, this episode is for you.

Press play, stay with us until the end, and allow this story to remind you that you are not forgotten, unseen, or beyond His reach.

If this message encourages you, subscribe for more Bible-based teaching, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review so more people can discover the message.

And as you listen, ask yourself: What is the one thing I need to place at Jesus' feet today?

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Faith. Hope. Love

Good news for everyday life.

The Gospel, simply shared.

The New Jerusalem Podcast

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Fear rarely arrives all at once.

It creeps in quietly when we are at our lowest. It repeats the same threat, magnifies the problem in front of us, and waits for us to believe that the outcome is already decided.

That is perhaps why the story of David and Goliath still speaks so powerfully to us today.

Because Goliath wasn't just a giant standing in front of an army.

He was a voice that created fear. A voice that tried to define the future before the battle had even begun.

And we all have our own Goliaths.

A health crisis.
Financial pressure.
Conflict at work.
A relationship falling apart.
A personal struggle that has been following you for months—or even years.

So what happens when the giant in front of you seems bigger than your ability to overcome it?

In this episode, we revisit one of the most famous stories in the Bible and look more closely at the journey of David—from the young shepherd who was anointed for a purpose, to the moment he heard Goliath's challenge and refused to accept the narrative of fear.

What is particularly powerful is the way David spoke.

Before anything changed in his circumstances, David remembered what God had already done.

“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me…”

Faith is often revealed in what we believe—and in what we speak—before we see the outcome.

So how do we build that kind of faith?

• What has God already brought you through?
• What past victory can remind you of His faithfulness today?
• And what happens when you stop allowing fear to define your future?

David gives us a practical pattern: remember God's track record, and then apply that faithfulness to the battle you are facing right now.

But trusting God doesn't mean becoming passive.

Proverbs 21:31 NASB1995
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the Lord.

There is a part for us to play.

Prepare.
Show up.
Take the step.
Do what is within your hands.

And then trust God with what is beyond your control.

The Bible reminds us that no wisdom, understanding, or counsel can stand against the Lord. The battle may be real, but your situation is never greater than God.

If fear has been speaking louder than faith lately, this episode is a reminder to stop listening to the voice of the giant and start remembering the voice of God.

Do your part.

Leave the rest to Him.

And watch for His deliverance.

If this episode encourages you, subscribe for more Bible-based teaching, share it with someone who is facing a giant today, and leave a review so more people can discover the hope found in God's Word.

And as you listen, ask yourself:

What is the Goliath in front of me—and what would it look like to confront it with faith today?

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Faith. Hope. Love

Good news for everyday life.

The Gospel, simply shared.

The New Jerusalem Podcast

Visit our website

Instagram : @the.new_jerusalem