Lost And Found

Luke 15: 4-5 -- "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders."

Any of you who have managed a move before know what it's like to lose something and spend a great deal of time looking for it. For example, unpacking untold number of boxes, one might need a pair of scissors to cut the tape - it would be wonderful if I could remember in which box the scissors might be hiding. 

In addition, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the story of the woman who lost a coin, or the shepherd who lost one of his many sheep. The thing is, there is no rest until the lost item is found. It CAN even keep you up at night retracing steps and mentally digging through drawers and cabinets. 


Isn't it amazing that - not only will Jesus forgive us when we slip up - he actively looks for us? He seeks us out! All who are lost - Jesus combs the country side for us in order to reach out and save each and everyone! That boggles the mind! Not only will he accept me "warts and all", but he'll come looking for me when I've lost my way and can't seem to find home base.

Like the frustration and yes, even desperation I might feel when looking for a lost item, or the woman looking for her coin, etc ... Jesus can't bare the thought of even one of us slipping beyond the reach of forgiveness and salvation. Now THAT is a beautiful thing! Most of us probably understand the concept of SEEKING forgiveness when we've sinned. But it's a wonderful, wonderful joy to know that Jesus isn't standing still, waiting for us to approach him - no - he is ACTIVELY SEEKING the lost.