The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they (all mankind) may have life, and have it to the full. – Jesus Christ
Bible Reading: Luke 15
Dear Friend,
Are you going through difficult times in your life? God cares about you and loves you. He wants your life to be peaceful. He is searching for you. Jesus described His love for all mankind through three stories. Wherever you are today, God loves you and is searching for you. You may not be loving God. But He still loves you. It does not matter what you have done in the past. The arms of Jesus are wide open to forgive your past. Let’s look at the parables Jesus used to convey His love for the people who are lost and buried in problems.
Lost Sheep
A shepherd had a hundred sheep. He cared for them dearly. But one of them got lost. He left the ninety-nine and went to search for the one sheep which was lost. After a great struggle, he found that sheep. He took it home and shared the joy with all the neighbors. This story explains the heart of Jesus. He might have many who follow Him with all their heart, but He still cares for those who are lost in their worldly problems. He wants to search for them and find them.
When I was a small boy, I used to visit my grandmother’s house and regularly watched Shepherds taking the sheep for grazing in the morning and taking them back in the evening. The sheep copy each other while walking. If one sheep jumps at a particular place then the rest of the sheep jumps at the same place without even the slightest reason of why the other sheep jumped. Can the sheep get lost, when they follow each other with such accuracy?
Sheep have a high probability of getting lost when they are chased by predators as the sheep never fight and they solely depend on their instinct to flee from predators.
Jesus shared the parable of lost sheep to express his concern and care for the people who are scared, depressed, and worried about the future. Some are running away from life due to its hardship. Jesus finds great joy in reaching out to them, rescuing them, and caring for them. Are you in one of these situations? God is reaching out to you. Will you allow him to take care of your life? Are you ready to open the door and welcome Jesus into your life?
Lost Coin:
Jesus continued with the next story to express His love for the lost. A woman loses one out of ten silver coins she had. She lights the lamp, sweeps her home, and searches for it intently, till she finds it. Her heart is filled with great joy when she finds the lost coin. She shared joy and happiness with all her neighbors.
God is on the mission of hunting for those who were lost. He intently searches to find them. He never stops until he finds those addicted to substances, stuck in obsessions, caught in the nets of prostitution, and people who think they don’t have any hope in life. Are you in one of these situations and think nobody cares for you? Jesus Christ died on the cross for us and paid the price to redeem us. independent of where you are, who you are, and what you have done in the past, Jesus wants to reach out to you and show His care.
Lost Son:
The third story Jesus described was about a son who was lost. A father had two sons. The elder one obeyed him and listened to his father. But the younger one wanted to enjoy his life with his friends. He wanted a portion of his father’s wealth before his father died. His father painfully divided all the property and allowed the son to go. The younger son went to a faraway country and lived his life as his heart desired.
After losing all the money foolishly, a terrible famine struck the land. The younger son could not feed himself. Nobody gave him food. He decided to come back to his father and be his servant. His father was waiting for him every day, looking forward to his return. In the culture of the Eastern world, most respectable people neither run nor show their emotions in public. But the father did not care for his respect before his servants. When he saw his son in the distance, he ran towards him with compassion and hugged him.
While the son was explaining how unworthy he was, the father had no time to waste. He decorates his son with clothes and gold. The fattened calf was ordered to be killed and the feast was arranged. “My son was dead and now he is alive again”, declared the father.
Dear friend, this is the heart of Father God. He is longing for his children to come back to him. We might have committed many mistakes against God. God still loves us and is waiting for us to come back to Him. All those who are lost and all those who have lost the privilege of the son-ship are welcome to come back as they are. Are you one of them? Are you ready to go back to the father with a humble and broken heart? God is waiting for you with open arms.
Jesus is searching for you:
Are you far away from God today? Very humbly I would say, you are the lost son God wants right now. He is waiting for you. He wants to meet you today. Will you take your first step to come back to God? God is waiting for you with open arms to receive you and embrace you.
Jesus came to this world to redeem the lost and to give hope to the hopeless. He can give you peace and comfort for your soul. Would you like to bow down your head and do a prayer to commit your life to God? Let’s pray. We are praying along with you.
Dear Jesus, I am so sorry I have hurt you in many ways. I went far away from you. My past mistakes have separated me from your beautiful and peaceful presence. Please forgive my past mistakes. Wash me with your precious blood. I want to be your child. I want to be yours and yours alone. Make me a new creation. Give me a new heart and hope. I want to leave all my bad habits behind and want to follow you with all my heart. Give me spiritual strength the change my life. Please help me to come out of my past completely. You have died on the Cross to wash away all my past sins. You have searched for me to find me. Thank you for coming after me. Thank you for finding me. Be my God and my savior. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Dear friend, we are so happy that you could pray the above prayer. More than us, Jesus is happy right now, because you decided to follow Him. If you have prayed the above prayer from the bottom of your heart Jesus has already forgiven your past. He is your heavenly father right now. He wants to hold your hand and lead you. May He guide you here onwards. Start praying every day and listen to His voice by reading the bible. May God bless you.