Corona Devo 1327
Our middle son lost his wireless headphones. Over a year ago.
We searched all over, and could not locate them, but he was sure that they were in the house. He's pretty meticulous in the memory department, and after retracing his steps and activities from the "time of loss", he was positive that he would find them somewhere in our house.
And so...here-and-there, now-and-then, and over and over, he has looked.
He also has since bought a new pair of headphones...but he never gave up the search for his originals.
Well, we got a new couch the other day, and guess what we found way down in the old couch's cushions?
The lost headphones.
Oh, the rejoicing that our son engaged in! He knew they were somewhere. He even knew they were in our house. He also knew that they just needed to be found. And finally, he had found them!
~~~
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. (2) But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
(3) Then Jesus told them this parable: (4) “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? (5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders (6) and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ (7) 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. ~Luke 15:1-7
Jesus spoke in simple ways so that people could understand Him...so that we could understand Him.
We (too) mutter in judgment of others. We (too) mutter so that others might recognize our (self-assessed) piety.
Lord, forgive us for muttering pridefully in judgment of others, and shut our mouths and hearts to it today. Amen.
We do understand the search for something lost. We've all gone after something of value that has been lost/misplaced/or has wandered out of our life. We know the pain of loss, the desperation of something displaced, the sadness of something/someone astray.
Jesus tries to get through to the thick-skinned spiritual show-offs. He tells a parable to soften their stance and to "draw a picture" of His (merciful and forgiving) heart when a sinner returns home to Him and leaves their life of sin.
Do you think they got it?
Do we get it?
~~~
The joy that filled our son when he was reunited with his lost headphones was something! But it was nothing compared to the joy of our Heavenly Father, who searches for His lost children for a long time.
Some of us have come home to Him, but others of us are still wandering. Still running.
But why?
We might relate to the pious (and hypocritical) Pharisees and the teachers of the law.
We might relate to the one searching for something of value that has gone missing.
Or today we might relate to the lost sheep. A dissenter. Too-far-gone, or so we tell ourselves. Too dirty to ever be able to be washed fully clean. Too many mess-ups to get cleaned-up. Lost for so long that we have just about given up hope of being found.
But...have faith.
Whether we got "lost" in sin a few minutes ago, or have been wandering rogue for years...our Father in heaven has been searching all over for us.
He's sure of who we really are, regardless of what it looks like...what we look like...what our life looks like.
Our Lord...He's pretty meticulous in the memory department, and He knows how He created us (fearfully and wonderfully... ~Psalm 139:14).
Have we forgotten?
Until we take our last breath, God seeks us, pursues us, and continues to search for us, because He is positive that there is hope for us.
Are we the one that He's left the ninety-nine for?
Many have come to know Him, which He rejoices in! But He never gives up the search for His lost "sheep".
Maybe today is our day to "get found", or to support the one who has been found.
Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
(5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders (6) and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
(7) 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. ~Luke 15:4-7
sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com
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