Good morning to you, I am here again bringing the word of God to your doorstep.
Everything flows from the presence of the Lord. Everything, If you have Him, you have everything that matters and lasts, so without God, you have nothing of value. We can experience His presence in conscious awareness only as we come to Him in faith and dependency. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:4.
Turn to the Bible, Luke 19:10 and Mark 2:17. Yet, when these people gathered themselves around Jesus, to hear Him teach, the religious establishment went crazy and began to criticize Jesus for receiving sinners. The word receiveth means to allow access to oneself. The very people the religious world should have been reaching out to, were the very ones they shunned. Jesus, on the other hand, came to the world for lost, hurting, sinful people, and He reached out to them.
Jesus, knowing the hard hearts of these religious people, told them the parable that makes up the verses of this chapter. In this parable, Jesus uses four illustrations to teach them the value of every lost soul. He even uses this parable to teach them that they themselves might not be as secure as they thought they were.
One day, a shepherd counts his sheep. He expects to find 100 in his flock, but is dismayed to discover that one of the flock is missing. Motivated by the danger to the sheep and the loss to himself, the shepherd takes immediate action to restore this sheep to its proper place in the fold.
The word lost is the same word that is translated perish in John 3:16. It means to be lost, ruined, or destroyed it is used to refer to being sent away into Hell! In other words, this little sheep is in great danger! It is headed for ruin. It is headed for destruction. The shepherd knows this and concerned about the condition of the sheep! He is moved to do something to save this lost sheep. By the way, this sheep is lost because it wandered away! It is lost by its own fault! Be reminded God knows the lost condition of humanity, Isa. 53:6.
This sheep may have wandered away from the shepherd, but it was still precious to Him. There was value in that sheep and the shepherd wanted it returned to his flock, He cared about that one little lost sheep. The Good Shepherd loves the lost sheep in this world also! My friend, if you are lost today, I want you to know that God loves you! How do I know? First, He said it, Jer. 31:3; John 3:16. And, He showed it, Rom. 5:6-8
Finally,
where are you in your relationship to the Shepherd?
Father, thank You that You have made Yourself so accessible to me. You have gone to extraordinary lengths, even the death of Your Son, so that I might know you personally and intimately. Forgive me, Lord, for forgetting this. Help me draw near. Remind me of everything I have substituted for You, and let me repent and return. I know that the Nearness of God is my good, as David said, and I long for You more than anything. Amen. Be blessed.
I love you.
Thank you all for the inspiration to share this with you.
