Good Morning Friends,
“Jesus told this parable: ‘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.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not
need to repent.’” (Luke 15:3-7)
Using the criteria found in this parable are
you able to call yourself a friend of God?
Friends of God care more about lost sheep than
they do about their own needs. They give up their time and resources to
celebrate the finding of a lost sheep. It’s not even their sheep. The sheep
belongs to someone else. But they care so much about lost sheep, and the One
whose sheep it is, that they celebrate when it is found. Do you celebrate when
lost sheep are found?
Friends of God care more about lost sheep than
they do about the sheep that are secure in the sheepfold. Heaven rejoices over
one sinner who repents more than over the ninety-nine who do not need to
repent. Friends of God are willing to put the needs of the secure sheep aside
in order to look for lost sheep. Even though there are far more secure sheep
than there are lost sheep, finding the one lost sheep matters more than meeting
the needs of the secure sheep. Do you care more about finding lost sheep or
being sure the needs of the secure sheep are met?
Let’s bring that home even more. Do you care
more about lost sheep being found than you do about your own needs being met? Are
you willing to lay your needs aside in order for lost sheep to be sought after?
Friends of God are willing to do that because they know how much lost sheep
matter to God.
His, by Grace, Steve
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