Yesterday, was a time of celebration for us at Connect2Christ Church; we celebrated 15 years of ministry exalting Christ and sharing his love in our midst and in our community. In many ways, leading up to the celebration was a challenging time for me. The week continued, as in earlier weeks, with a broken AC; we had to trust the Lord. Many loved ones were ill or hospitalized and other loved ones were traveling, simply away, or still up north for the season. We were missing so many beautiful family members; we had to trust the Lord. Then, there was the murder of our spiritual brother, Charlie Kirk. Every believer felt the grieving of the Spirit and the tremendous loss for the spiritual Family; still, we had to trust the Lord and continue moving forward.
We needed Jesus to lift our souls! The ability to rejoice in the midst of any kind of loss or suffering is a mark of genuine discipleship and spiritual maturity. God is good and he always seems to bring his goodness to us even if it is out of the things we suffer or things that put pressure on our faith. During these times, we need our attention lifted to the things that are eternal; the promises of our glorious God who is pure selfless Love. We must trust the Lord.
In our passage today, Luke shares several parables of Jesus. Today, we will read about a lost sheep and a lost coin. We may be tempted to read the passage and think about what is lost and certainly we should, but the parable ends with heaven’s focus on what is “found.” Think about it. Jesus came to earth to find his lost children and save them. As I looked around the room and shared, yesterday, I was filled with such joy and gratitude. I believe the angels in heaven rejoiced with us, as well. Jesus found us and connected all of our lives with his!
Now, we must turn, as his messengers of the gospel, and seek to tell others who are spiritually lost about our amazing Savior. Jesus redeems us, sanctifies us, delivers us, holds us, heals us, comforts us, and he wants to do the same for every living human being in the world. Take time to praise God for finding you; he sought you out to save you and lift you from a sin-filled selfish-living world and place you in a Family where he can take care of you. Now, take time to pray for the lost who need Jesus; he will send you to tell someone about him. Tell the world that Jesus lives and longs to love them!
Luke 15:1-10 NLT
Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Prayer: Lord, we praise you, today, for finding us in our lostness and saving us from the emptiness of this self-serving, ungrateful, and unrighteous world. Thank you for placing us in a spiritual family to be loved by you and one another. You take care of us through the family and we are so grateful. Our gratitude cannot remain within, Lord, so help us to share your love and compassion with others. Send us to share the gospel and grow your spiritual Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.