Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
March 28, 2023
Read Luke 15:3-7
3 Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.
Good Morning, I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
The parable of the lost sheep is a comforting passage of hope for those who are lost. My question this morning is, “Do we always realize that we’re lost?” It is likely that we’ve all had the experience of losing someone in a crowd of people or lost a child who has wandered off. We became separated because we lost focus for even a second.
I started to say that my oldest son had a habit of getting lost, but maybe as a new mom, I hadn’t yet learned to be as attentive as I should have been. After all, he didn’t purposely hide from me; we would become interested in something and continue walking toward the thing that caught our eyes. The problem comes when we are pulled by different things.
Imagine two people are in a crowd at a street festival. At first, the crowd surges forward as a whole to enter the festival. When they near the vendors, individuals or small groups start to peel off as they see something that interests them. In these settings, the ones with whom you came start to divide to go to the different vendors as well. You get so interested in a particular thing that you do not notice when your group has moved on. You’re happy because you don’t know you’re lost.
When you suddenly realize that you are alone, you might first look to see if you can spot anyone in your group. When you recognize no one, a little panic might begin to enter your thoughts. Now instead of enjoying the festival and looking at what the vendors have to share, you become focused on finding the group or being found by the group. The group is fine because they are all together. When the leader realizes that one is missing, they set off to find the one who is missing: you.
When you are found and brought back to the group, all rejoice and go back to enjoying the festival. Jesus is the one who finds us when we are lost. Sometimes we get distracted by earthly things and don’t notice when our group has moved forward. Other times we wander off the path and fall into briers (evil) when we find ourselves surrounded by darkness.
Whether we know that we are lost or not, Jesus seeks us and finds us. He offers to bring us home when we are ready to come.
Blessed God, We thank you for Your blessings. Being lost is an interesting thing. Sometimes we choose to be lost. Other times we are scared. Thank you for finding us. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: When I am lost, Jesus wants to lead me back home.
Jesus seeks us when we are lost! Pastor Liz
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