“‘Suppose () one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.
Does
he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the
lost sheep /until he finds it?’”
(Luke 15:4 NIV)
Perhaps there have been times that, because of the cares and
distractions of life, we have found ourselves a million miles away from
the Lord. Then God in his grace touches us and we come back; but
sometimes when we come back, we don’t come all the way back.
Our bodies
may be in church, our heads may be in the Bible more than they had
been,
but our hearts are still wandering /out there /somewhere, longing
for and going after things //that supplant God in our lives. We want to
be right with God, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
* To supplant is to take the place of, often in a sneaky way.
The good news is that Jesus is the Good Shepherd //who goes after the one
lost sheep,
because he knows that sheep can’t find [their way back
home]. In the same manner, Jesus goes after the wandering heart; and
he’s the only one //who can bring it home.
When you can’t get home, Jesus
can get you home. Whether you’re praying for yourself or for a loved
one today, call on the Good Shepherd //who laid down his life /so that you
might have [life /in all of its fullness].
He will bring you /all the way
home.
Read Luke 15:1-7 on the parable of the lost sheep.