No Sheep Left Behind
My church is currently in the middle of a series called “Kingdom Come”. As part of that series, families are required to read certain Bible passages and to reflect on them. A few nights ago, my family read Luke 15; 1-7, the parable about the lost sheep:
All the tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Jesus spoke to them using this illustration: 4 “Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and 6 goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ 7 I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.”
I asked my seventeen year old son for his take-a-way on the preceding verses. He responded, “No sheep left behind”. I am assuming that he was making a connection to the educational act, No Child Left Behind. Nevertheless, after I stopped laughing, I realized that his response was not only comical, but it was also brilliant. “No sheep left behind” precisely sums up God’s intentions with us, His sheep. When we are lost, He leaves His other sheep grazing safely in the pasture, and He searches for us. When He finds us, He is happy. Then He puts us on His shoulders and carries us home. Notice, however, how much effort He puts into one sheep. He could have said, “Well, I have 99 others, why should I waste time on one stupid, little, lost, sheep…who should’ve known better than to wander off like that”. But He loves ALL of His sheep, and when He finds us, He does not scold us for getting lost. He does the opposite. He throws us a party!
If you’re a lost sheep, call out to Him. He’s looking for you right now. Let Him put you on His shoulders and carry you home.
I’m ending all my posts with an invitation to accept Jesus. If you would like at accept Jesus simply pray the following prayer or one like it: “Dear Lord, I’m a sinner. I acknowledge that You sent Your son, Jesus, to die for my sins. I humbly accept Your son, Jesus, and I now further acknowledge that I am forgiven of my past sins, my present sins, and my future sins.” If you prayed that simple prayer, you are saved. Now, you need to follow Jesus. Start reading your Bible. I would suggest starting with Matthew, reading all of the New Testament, then reading the Old Testament. Also, find a good church. Christianity was never meant to be done alone. You need to be in community with other believers.
It’s almost cliché. Everyone says that you can’t live in the past. Don Henley in the “Boys of Summer” said, “A little voice inside my head said never look back. You can never look back.” Joe Dee Messina in her song, “Bye Bye” said, “I got my rear view mirror torn off, and I ain’t never looking back. And that’s a fact.” God also wants us to not live in past. An overriding theme of the Bible is that Jesus died for our past mistakes. Therefore, we are not condemned, but we are free from the guilt and shame associated with our former selves. It can be summed up in the following verse: