Seeking Out the Lost

Suggested Scripture
Luke 15

Key Verse:
"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? (Luke 15:4, NIV)

My parents’ dog, Spike, thinks he’s a lot bigger than he really is. For the most part, Spike is an indoor animal. At 3-pounds soaking wet, Spike is hardly capable of handling himself in the great outdoors, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try. In Spike’s eyes, my Mom purpose serves only to feed him when he’s hungry, refill his water dish, and open the door when he needs to go outside to do his business. Every now and then, Spike gets a whiff of the wild, and runs at top speed in the exact opposite direction from where my mom is supervising him.

Rather than stand there, waiting for him to get scared and come running back, my mom will take off after Spike, calling his name. Fortunately, Spike’s legs are only about 3 inches long and don’t carry him very far before he is captured. As Mom brings him back to the house, he’s usually quite humble, as evidenced by his tail tucked between his legs.

We too are small creatures who forget our frailty. Even those who have a relationship with God and believe in the blessings and benefit of abiding in Him, will momentarily give into temptation and run in a direction that takes us away from God. We temporarily choose to disregard our need for God, and think that by doing things on our own, we’ll find something bigger, better, or more enjoyable. Rarely do we find such things apart from God, and we return to Him on our own, embarrassed and humbled from the experience. Sometimes we get lost out there, and when we do, God seeks us out and brings us safely home.

Reflecting Pool:

Have you ever run away from God? Why?

Did you ever have a difficult time finding your way back to God?

How has God protected you from your own foolishness by bringing you back to Him?