READ
REFLECT
Do you remember the last time you were lost? Maybe Siri gave you the wrong directions and it took longer to find your destination. Or perhaps you walked off the beaten path on a hike and struggled to find your way back.
In both cases, it likely wasn’t much of a challenge to find your destination. With Siri, you could have used another app, made a phone call, or stopped at a gas station. With the hike, depending on how far you deviated from the path, it likely just took more time than you preferred to get back on track.
Whatever the case is, nobody likes to be lost. We all want to find our way back with as little difficulty as possible.
But what about when we are lost spiritually? What do we do then? Do we try to find our way back? Or do we ask Him to intervene, knowing that we don’t have the right map to reach our destination.
In Luke, we learn that Jesus Christ cares deeply for his lost sheep. That when we go off the beaten path, He goes out to find us and bring us home.
Scripture refers to the lost sheep as one sinner. In it, we learn that there is a bigger celebration for the sinner coming home than there is for all the other people who are living righteously. Jesus says, “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.”
When we wander off from The Good Shepherd, we can find our way back. But that only happens as we ask the Lord to come rescue us. And when we ask for that divine intervention, Jesus hears us and saves us.
RESPOND
1. Read the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Write down any feelings you have.
2. Commit Luke 15:4 to memory.
