July 28th

JULY 28th

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

God specializes in restoring what is lost. That goes for you and me, but it also goes for what we have lost. So first let’s talk about us. We should never, ever, ever feel that we are too far gone, too lost. First, that is a lie of the enemy, and we know he just wants us dead. But also remember what Pastor Bill said…when we wander off, we don’t have to feel like we have to make it back to where we were before God restores us; He is right there next to us wherever we are; all we have to do is repent and surrender and He immediately restores us.

But also think about it this way…God’s WHOLE PLAN revolves around Him rescuing us! That doesn’t mean that He is standing there on the path waiting for us to return. It means He is coming after us. At my friend Carl’s house today our friend Jim pointed out a picture in the room given to him by his wife years ago. It was a picture of Jesus. It was our Good Shepherd climbing down the edge of a steep, rocky, dangerous cliff to rescue a lamb. That is our Jesus!

We find ourselves on that cliff more often than we would like to admit, probably daily. He is saving us not just once from death and Hell, He is continually rescuing us from ourselves as we wander off the path that He has for us because we think we see something interesting or inviting, and then there we are off that cliff again, staring at a bald eagle flying by and wondering how we ended up in that predicament. OR, we don’t even realize we have hit the cliff until we hear the voice of our Shepherd calling to us. We wandered off the path with gossiping, or shopping, or being impatient, or whatever thing that we like to call trivial but that leads us away from His heart which is just as dangerous as something that we think is “major” like adultery or whatever.

That picture I saw is such a good reminder that He rescues us on cliff not just from a pleasant pasture somewhere. He is all about restoring us to Himself. He goes after the lost sheep, no matter where that takes Him. That’s you and me, we aren’t the 99, we are the one that wanders off.

Luke 15:3-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 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.”

The prodigal son illustrates this as well. (Luke Chapter 15) The younger son runs off with his inheritance and blows it on worldly living. He realizes the error of his way and decides to return to his father. What happens next?

Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

His father ran to HIM. He didn’t wait for him to come home, he ran out to meet him, full of joy that his son wanted to return to him. That’s Jesus; that’s how He feels and that’s HIS response when we decide we want to answer His call to return to Him. HE is overjoyed! Never mind the older brother who was upset because he had been faithful all along and the father didn’t give him a banquet. We aren’t the older brother, we are the younger one who strays, -nearly every day. Thank God we have a GOOD, GOOD Shepherd that comes out to meet us, chasing us down and rescuing us from our cliffs.

Jesus, my Good, Good, Shepherd, thank you so much for rescuing me. I’m sorry I wander from your best for me. Thank you for rescuing me from death and sin and thank you for rescuing me and restoring me to you every day. Help me to lean in closer and closer to your heart. Help me to recognize the ways that I stray from the path, from your heart, from your best for me. Thank you for your loving heart, your gentle but firm hand and your compassionate embrace as you welcome me back. Thank you for loving me enough to rescue me.