Matthew 18:12-14 [NIV] | 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
“What do you think?” It is an interesting question God is asking. Afterall, how often does God ask for our opinion? In our reading we begin to get a glimpse of how important and loved we are by God. In Luke 19:10 we read, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Make no mistake about it, God loves you.
Unfortunately, there are times in life we struggle in our relationship with God. We get busy and distracted by life’s events only to discover we spend less time in presence of God and wander away. God shows his deep love for us by leaving behind the 99 sheep and seeking the one who is wandering. Jesus is our protective shepherd who will go in search of the one that went astray. God is concerned about every single believer and will actively go in search of those who have “gone astray.”
God so loves each of us, his children, that he actively seeks and rejoices when they return to him. Just as a shepherd is concerned enough about one lost sheep to go search the hills for it, so God is concerned about every believer no matter how small or weak one’s faith might be. Because of God’s great love for us, we can be assured that he is always watching and drawing us back to him. Let us praise our Father in heaven who says to each of us, “You are important.”
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you for taking the time to love and care for each of us. During times you find me straying from you, draw me back into your ever-loving presence. In your Son’s name I pray. Amen
Action Plan:
Today I will take time to recognize how much God loves me, even when I find myself wandering from him.
Pastor Rod Lindemann
I Can’t | Jesus Can | Jesus Can Through Me