October 23, 2016

Luke 15:4 NKJV - "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?"

"He goes until He finds..."  Think about that.  When a shepherd sees that a sheep, "wandered away," or as Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray..." the shepherd doesn't stop looking for it until he finds the lost sheep.  You could say that when it came to the shepherd's love for his sheep, he "let nothing between his love for his own."  (If you missed yesterday's Daily Verse, you might find it helpful to read.  It reflects on my thoughts today).

Have you ever noticed that in all three parables in Luke 15 that in all instances the object lost already belonged to the owner?  The lost sheep already belonged to the shepherd.  The lost coin already belonged to the woman.  The lost son already belonged to the father.  They weren't so much looking to "buy more sheep" or "acquire more wealth" or even "have more children."  The things that were lost already had an owner.  What does that possibly imply about these parables?  I think that along with seeing that Jesus is looking for the unsaved, He also is looking for the backslidden believer!  For, you see, if something already belongs to the owner, that object, whether sheep, coin, or son, is not disowned by the owner.  And the owner will stop at nothing to get back that which has wandered away!  Nothing between the owner and that which is lost!  The owner wants his possession back!

Do you feel that's the way God has been working in your life?  You're saved.  You can remember a day when you personally received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  But you've wandered away.  Your heart isn't in love with Him as it once was.  You've taken everything your Father allowed you to have and you squandered it on wasteful living.  Or, you've messed up your life so bad you wonder if God would ever take you back.  And yet you feel Him tugging at your heart and saying to you, "Come home, come home, ye who are weary, come home!"

You see, Jesus isn't so much looking for what you can give Him or what you can do for Him.  He wants you and He wants you to want Him.  And when you want Him, you'll find Him!  As much as a "lost sheep" needs to be found, so the lost sheep is hoping his shepherd will find him.  Do you know that your Shepherd has been looking for you for a long, long time?  He won't give up until you're back in fellowship with Him.  He will let "nothing between" Himself and you.  He wants you.