Luke 15:1-7 (N L T)
Luke 15
Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
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These were the verses in my daily devotional today...There was a time when I will admit I would have read these verses and thought...wait considering that I would be among the 99 who haven't strayed that makes me mad that I don't make God as happy as the 1. I would struggle with the passages like this and the prodigal son, because they messed up and then got a party?!
Thankfully God has changed my heart or broke it (which is probably what really happened.) Now I feel confident in God's love for me and He has given me more compassion for the lost...because it's not about me or them, it's that some one new has finally found God and can now glorify Him in their own lives! I also must note that this is a beautiful picture of Christ as a pursuer...how patiently he pursues the lost little sheep (just one) to bring him or her home....that's comforting!
This is a beautiful post ..and I LOVE that picture!!
ReplyDeleteHi Meg! I struggle with that still sometimes as someone who doesn't have a dramatic "once was lost and now am found" testimony that some have...being saved out of drugs, immorality, ______ (fill in the blank), etc... Does God love me as much b/c I was not such an astounding catch that can bring Him glory through the amazing tale of my salvation??? I've heard some great teaching on his care and concern for the other 99, and I think as I get older I also am grasping more and more that all sins are equally evil in God's eyes. I'm no better than anyone else, and I was saved out of just as black a night (with just as dark a record). God's grace was just as amazing for ME! And how kind He was to spare me from the harm and baggage that the 1 who wanders must suffer. He must love me indeed! - Had a stamping class tonight, so am pretty tired. It went really well though.- You've got me quite intrigued about the new Alice. I'm anxious to see it, but the previews look so strange! I look forward to hearing about how your day was, ~Kristin
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