Friday, February 4, 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)

When you wander away from God, God doesn’t say, “I hope he falls off a cliff! It would serve him right!” He doesn’t say, “I’ve got 99 more anyway - it’s no big deal.” He doesn’t say, “She got herself into it - let her get herself out of it.” When you wander away from God, God says, “My sheep is lost. I’m going to find it.”

And when he finds you, he looks at your broken life. He sees the mess you have made of things. He knows about all the times you have tried to run away from him. He sees your scars - scars resulting from your own sin. He sees your selfishness and your rebelliousness. He sees you in all of your ugliness, and he smiles and says, “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Then he joyfully picks you up and carries you home.

Live the Word
Thank God for loving you in spite of your faults. Thank him for searching for you and bringing you home.