Morning Devotional 050925 Once Lost, Now Found

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  May 9, 2025

Luke 15:28-32

28 Then the older son was furious and didn’t want to enter in, but his father came out and begged him. 29 He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31 Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”

Good Morning! Jesus finds us when we are lost!

It’s not fair! We’ve all thought or said those words at least once in our lives. We do everything right, yet someone who hasn’t done the work gets ahead of us. We become angry like the son who stayed home, and we become jealous of the one receiving the attention. 

This is especially true of our faith journey. Some attend church regularly, help with mission projects, and do their best to live a righteous life. They feed the hungry, clothe those who are naked, visit the sick, and even provide resources for the imprisoned. God smiles and says, “Bless you, Good and faithful servant!” 

They faithfully follow their pathway for years. All is well! But then, a “Johnny, come lately” shows up and becomes part of the church. Johnny, who has led a colorful life, begins to participate in the church's mission work. 

Instead of praising God for finding Johnny and bringing him into the fold, those who have been there all along begin to gossip about Johnny and question his motives for helping. “It’s not fair,” they say, “Surely God sees through Johnny’s attempts to make up for all the bad things he’s done.”

The Good News is that we are all sinners who God unconditionally loves. For those who spend their life as faithful servants, blessings abound. For the Johnny come latelys, God rejoices that those who were dead are now alive. 

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! Thank you for searching for us when we become lost. You welcome each of us home. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: God welcomes all who turn over their lives to Jesus.

Rejoice, the lost have been found! Pastor Liz