Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Listen to the Word
Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” (Luke 15:4-6)

“Lost.” That’s a rather churchy word. But it is a perfect description of our condition apart from God. We are wandering aimlessly. We have no map, no GPS, and nobody to ask for directions. We are not sure where we are or where we are going. Sometimes we wander away by accident, and sometimes it is more intentional, but either way we are lost.

What lost people need, more than anything else, is to be found. And the good news Jesus shares is that finding those who are lost is God’s specialty. And do you see how thoroughly he searches? He is a persistent shepherd. He doesn’t look until he has searched a square mile, or until he gets tired, or until it gets dark. No. He goes after the lost sheep “until he finds it!”

Live the Word
Pray for someone you know who is far from God. Thank God for refusing to give up on that person.