October 7, 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?"

In this chapter there is the story of "The Lost Sheep," "The Lost Coin," and "The Lost Son."  In each story there's some common threads:

All were valuable in the sight of the Shepherd, the Woman, and the Father.

All were once part of the flock, the collection, or the family.

All somehow left, the sheep wandered, the coin fell, and the son willfully departed.

Each was lost, the sheep in the wilderness, the coin in the dirt, and the son in the pig pen.

It's assumed with all that the sheep wanted to be found, the coin, lifeless at it is, was meant to be found, and the son knew he didn't belong where he was.

The sheep couldn't find its way back, the coin couldn't jump back into the bag with the rest of the coins; only the son could move back to his father.

With the sheep and the coin, someone had to go and do the looking.  With the son, the father had to keep waiting for his son to come home. 

The question could be asked of the shepherd and the woman, "How long do you keep looking?"  With the father, "How long do you keep waiting?"

If the Lord "lays some soul upon your heart," then be sure He wants you to search and keep searching for an opportunity to share the Gospel with them.  You may have to work hard and keep working hard and be willing to get dirty "sweeping" away the dirt and defilement of sin in which the lost is buried.  He will also want you to pray and wait on the Lord and keep praying and keep waiting until the lost soul come Home!  Seeking the lost is no easy task.  But when the lost is found - WOW!  There's joy in heaven and you'll find great joy in your heart when these precious souls meet their Shepherd!