One Lost Sheep.

Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not 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

I'll tell you, there have been some very touching scripture lately. Once again Mike discussed this particular one at Acquire the Fire last weekend. It's just one more reason that we're given that explains the degree in which God cares about us.

Let's break the story down more so that you understand this parable. If everyone in the world knew God except for you, he would still stick his hands out and reach for you. He is so willing to love you no matter what. Shepherds care about their sheep. In the same way, God as our Shepherd, certainly cares and loves you so much even if you're lost. God longs for you and wants to hold you so badly - so don't hide. It's God's job to not only keep you safe but to keep close tabs on you.

Think of Niagara Falls. It's a beautiful part of nature. Imagine standing underneath it (if that was even humanly possible). Think of that force as love pouring over you. If you don't get past the devil's schemes telling you that God doesn't love or care about you, the waterfall will wash over you and make you lose your balance.

Hear God's voice today and follow it so that you don't become the lost sheep! Don't be discouraged if you have been the lost sheep. We all need to be guided back onto the right path sometimes.

Here's the song "Beautiful" by Unhindered.



P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.