THE PARABLE OF THE LOST CHRISTIAN
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
It amazes me how many people today who attend church every Sunday morning are still feeling lost in some way when they return home. There is a truth in the teachings of Jesus that is recounted in the book of Luke 15: throughout the entire chapter. Actually there are three separate stories and examples given by Christ of the importance of finding that which is lost to us. The first deals with an account of a lost sheep to its shepherd. Luke 15:1-7 tells us beginning with verse 3 "suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent." It will probably seem foolish to some people for that shepherd to have left 99 sheep to go search for just one. But the shepherd knew that the 99 would be safe in the she pulled, but he didn't know about the lost sheep that was in danger because each sheep had a high-value in the shepherd knew that it was worthwhile to search diligently for the one who was lost. Then speaks volumes to me about God's intent on our own salvation, and it should speak to us about keeping ourselves safe from being lost as well.
We see in many cases were Jesus associated with people who were considered beyond hope. All we have to do is look back on our own lives in the way we were before we became a believer in Christ. It is my whole that we will realize how much God has sought you out, and how much is love still seeks you out and all others even those who are yet lost. We may think that the title of this particular blog may be off just a little bit in that how can a Christian be lost? All we really have to do to find the answer to that is to see how easy it is today for us to be led down the wrong path way. So many of us can understand a God who would forgive sinners, and those who come to him for mercy but a God who tenderly searches for sinners and then joyfully forgives them has an extraordinary kind of love.
The sheep that went astray did not realize he was lost until he could no longer find his way. It is when we get pulled away from the influence of Christ by concepts and thoughts of those who are influenced by the world that we get pulled away from our pathway. It is unfortunate, but I have found more than once that influences from church leadership is responsible for people separating themselves from one another. The question on my mind is always around why we are able to be so distracted from our goal of being one with Jesus Christ as he is one with the father? In Jesus the parable of the lost coin, which is found in Luke 15:8-10 gives us an example of what it is to have a single mindset when it comes to keeping our eyes on Christ. Jesus has told us to keep our focus and our attention on our relationship with him above all other things. When I look at how diligently this woman sought after the lost coin I realized that is exactly the way we need to be seeking after God. These verses tell us "or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins; and loses one. That she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
I also want you to notice that in each one of these parables once the object was found; no matter if it was a sheep, or a coin, the one who sought and found cold friends and neighbors together to rejoice with them over the find. When we do find Christ in our life it becomes a natural tendency for us to want to share that with others. In Luke 15:11-32 we find the final parable of what we call the prodigal son. In this last story in chapter 15 Jesus uses the idea of our own hearts and logic leading us astray and in the path of danger. There are many dangerous attitudes and opinions that are floating around today. Many of these are designed to touch our emotion and to move the intent of our heart to change something in our lives. I know that many people today get politically polarized into a thought pattern before they completely think things through. We can easily find ourselves being the lead away from the loving care of Jesus Christ by getting involved, and taking up causes that should be left to this world instead of influencing our spiritual lives. Do you find yourself in a lost situation today is a Christian? May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
It amazes me how many people today who attend church every Sunday morning are still feeling lost in some way when they return home. There is a truth in the teachings of Jesus that is recounted in the book of Luke 15: throughout the entire chapter. Actually there are three separate stories and examples given by Christ of the importance of finding that which is lost to us. The first deals with an account of a lost sheep to its shepherd. Luke 15:1-7 tells us beginning with verse 3 "suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent." It will probably seem foolish to some people for that shepherd to have left 99 sheep to go search for just one. But the shepherd knew that the 99 would be safe in the she pulled, but he didn't know about the lost sheep that was in danger because each sheep had a high-value in the shepherd knew that it was worthwhile to search diligently for the one who was lost. Then speaks volumes to me about God's intent on our own salvation, and it should speak to us about keeping ourselves safe from being lost as well.
We see in many cases were Jesus associated with people who were considered beyond hope. All we have to do is look back on our own lives in the way we were before we became a believer in Christ. It is my whole that we will realize how much God has sought you out, and how much is love still seeks you out and all others even those who are yet lost. We may think that the title of this particular blog may be off just a little bit in that how can a Christian be lost? All we really have to do to find the answer to that is to see how easy it is today for us to be led down the wrong path way. So many of us can understand a God who would forgive sinners, and those who come to him for mercy but a God who tenderly searches for sinners and then joyfully forgives them has an extraordinary kind of love.
The sheep that went astray did not realize he was lost until he could no longer find his way. It is when we get pulled away from the influence of Christ by concepts and thoughts of those who are influenced by the world that we get pulled away from our pathway. It is unfortunate, but I have found more than once that influences from church leadership is responsible for people separating themselves from one another. The question on my mind is always around why we are able to be so distracted from our goal of being one with Jesus Christ as he is one with the father? In Jesus the parable of the lost coin, which is found in Luke 15:8-10 gives us an example of what it is to have a single mindset when it comes to keeping our eyes on Christ. Jesus has told us to keep our focus and our attention on our relationship with him above all other things. When I look at how diligently this woman sought after the lost coin I realized that is exactly the way we need to be seeking after God. These verses tell us "or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins; and loses one. That she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
I also want you to notice that in each one of these parables once the object was found; no matter if it was a sheep, or a coin, the one who sought and found cold friends and neighbors together to rejoice with them over the find. When we do find Christ in our life it becomes a natural tendency for us to want to share that with others. In Luke 15:11-32 we find the final parable of what we call the prodigal son. In this last story in chapter 15 Jesus uses the idea of our own hearts and logic leading us astray and in the path of danger. There are many dangerous attitudes and opinions that are floating around today. Many of these are designed to touch our emotion and to move the intent of our heart to change something in our lives. I know that many people today get politically polarized into a thought pattern before they completely think things through. We can easily find ourselves being the lead away from the loving care of Jesus Christ by getting involved, and taking up causes that should be left to this world instead of influencing our spiritual lives. Do you find yourself in a lost situation today is a Christian? May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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