“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” — Luke 15:6
“I’m called the Lord of the Rings. I’ve already found 167 lost rings this year.” While walking along the beach, my wife Kari and I chatted with an elderly man who was walking around with a metal detector. “Sometimes the rings have names engraved on them,” he said, “and I like to see the faces of the owners when I return them. I post online about the find and see if anyone gets in touch about it.” I said that I also like to search with a metal detector, but I didn’t do it very often. In parting, the man said: “You’ll never know until you try!”
In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, another kind of “search and rescue” is told. Jesus was criticized for caring about people far from God (vv. 1-2). In response, He told three stories: about a sheep, a coin and a son who were lost and then found. The man, “having found [the sheep], puts it on his shoulders and rejoices. And, coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors and says to them: ‘Rejoice with me'” (Lk. 15:5-6). All these stories are about the search for lost people and the joy of their salvation in Christ.
Jesus came “to find and save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). He calls us to follow His example (see Mt. 28:19). And the joy of people coming to God awaits us. We’ll never know until we try.
What joy did you feel when people came to God? How will you show others the love of Jesus?
Lord Jesus, thank you for finding and loving me! Please direct me to someone who needs You today.
“He stretched out His hand from on high, He took me.” — Psalm 17:17
In a recent post, blogger Bonnie Gray recalled a moment when her heart was filled with great sadness. “During the happiest period of my life… I suddenly began to experience panic attacks and depression.” Gray tried to find ways to soothe her pain, but soon realized that she could not cope with it on her own. “I didn’t want anyone to question my faith, so I didn’t tell anyone and just prayed for my depression to go away. But God wants to heal, not shame us or let us hide from our pain.” Gray found healing in God’s presence; The Lord was her anchor in the midst of the raging waters that tried to swallow her up.
If we are overcome by despair, let us remember: God is with us and He will support us. In Psalm 17, David praised God for deliverance from his enemies. He proclaimed: “[God] stretched out His hand from on high, He took me, He brought me out of the great waters” (v. 17). Even in a moment of despair, when it seems that he rises above us like waves in the ocean, God loves us so much that He will reach out His hand and help us, bringing us to a “large place”, a place of peace and security (v. 20). If it seems to us that we are suffocating in life’s difficulties, let us rely on God, our refuge!
When have you felt overwhelmed by a challenge? How has God supported you?
Heavenly Father, sometimes my burden becomes too heavy to bear. Thank you for constantly extending your hand to me, supporting me and giving me peace, strength and wisdom.
“With all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.” — Ephesians 4:2
One morning I was sitting in my chair. My youngest daughter came down to me from the upper floor and immediately jumped into my lap. I dove into her in a paternal way and kissed her on the head. She was satisfied. But then she frowned and looked at my cup of coffee unkindly. “Dad,” the daughter solemnly announced, “I love you, but I don’t like the way you smell.”
My daughter said this with complete sincerity. She didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but she felt compelled to say something to me. Sometimes we should do the same in our relationships.
In the 4th chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us how we should treat each other, especially when necessary to tell the unpleasant truth. “With all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (v. 2). Humility, meekness and patience should serve as the foundation in our relationships. Cultivating these character traits will help us to be “truthful in love” (v. 15) and to speak only “what is good for edification” (v. 29).
No one likes to hear about their weaknesses and shortcomings. However, if we begin to “smell” unpleasantly, God can prompt faithful friends to tell us the truth with grace, humility and meekness.
When did someone gently rebuke you? If you lovingly point out their weaknesses to others, what is the most important part of it?
Heavenly Father, help me humbly accept correction and give it to others with love, grace, and gentleness.
“Love… is like… the heat of fire, it is a flame.” — Song of Songs 8:6
Poet, artist and printer William Blake enjoyed forty-five years of marriage to his wife Catherine. From their wedding day until his death in 1827, they always worked together. Catherine added colors to William’s sketches. Their zeal persisted despite years of poverty and other hardships. Blake continued to paint even in the last weeks of his life, after his health had deteriorated. His last drawing was his wife’s face. Four years later, Kateryna died, holding one of her husband’s pencils in her hand.
The strong love of this couple serves as a reflection of the love depicted in the book of Song of Songs. Although this description contains allusions to marriage, the early Christians believed that it also indicated the undying love of Jesus for all His followers. The Song says that love is “strong… like death.” This is a striking metaphor, for death is an inevitable reality that men must know (Ps. 8:6). Strong love, “like… the heat of fire, it is a flame” (v. 6). Unlike the flame we are used to, this flame cannot be extinguished. “Great waters cannot quench love” (v. 7).
Who among us does not long for true love? The song reminds that the source of any manifestation of sincere love is God. In Jesus, each of us can know a deep and eternal love that burns like a flame.
Where have you met strong love? How does the love of Jesus sustain you?
Dear God, please help me to accept Your love and show it to others.
“And I say to you: Love your enemies.” — Matthew 5:44
“I know what they’re saying. And I’m telling you…” As a child, I heard this phrase from my mother a thousand times. The context has always been peer pressure. She tried to teach me not to follow the crowd. I am no longer a boy, but the desire to follow the crowd still appears. The current example is the following phrase: “Surround yourself only with positive people.” And here we should ask the question: “Does this agree with the teachings of Jesus Christ?”
“And I say to you…” The Lord Jesus repeatedly uses this introductory phrase in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is well aware of what the world is constantly telling us about. However, He wants us to live differently. For example, Jesus says: “Love your enemies… and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44). Later, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul also uses this word. Who do you think? That’s right, about us. “We, being enemies… with God” (Rom. 5:10). Jesus did what he said. He loved us and gave His life for us.
Imagine if Christ surrounded Himself only with “positive people”. Would we be with Him? Praise be to God, His love respects no face. God loved the whole world, and we are called to follow His example with His help.
When was the last time someone showed you love even in spite of your non-“positivity”? How can you show love to your enemy today?
Heavenly Father, I tend to surround myself only with those who love me. However, this is not exactly the way of life to which You are calling me. Help me to love even my enemies.
“Thus says the Lord God: Repent, and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations!” — Ezekiel 14:6
“Do you see that, Brother Tim?” A friend of mine, a Ghanaian pastor, shined a torch on a carved object standing near the dugout. “This is the idol of the village,” he said quietly. Pastor Sam came to this remote village every Tuesday night to teach the Bible to the residents.
In the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, it is shown how idolatry had a harmful effect on the Jewish people. When the Jerusalem leaders came to the prophet Ezekiel, God told him: “These men have allowed their gods into their hearts” (Ezek. 14:3). God did not only warn against idols carved out of wood and stone. He showed that idolatry is a problem of the heart. We all face it.
Bible teacher Alistair Begg calls an idol “anything other than God that we consider important to our peace, contentment, or acceptance.” Even good things can become idols for us. If we look for comfort and a sense of dignity in something other than the living God, then we resort to idolatry.
God called: “Repent, and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations!” (v. 6). Israel proved unable to do so. Fortunately, God had a solution. While waiting for the coming of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, He promised: “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezek. 36:26). We will not do it ourselves.
Where do you look for comfort in times of stress? What might you need to turn away from?
Heavenly Father, show me the idols in my heart. Help me destroy them and live in Your love.
While in a small West African town, my American pastor arrived on time for the 10 a.m. Sunday service. However, there was no one in the church hall. He decided to wait. One hour. Two. Finally, around half past one in the morning, the local pastor arrived at the church, followed by choristers and other townspeople, and the service began “in the fullness of time,” as my pastor put it. “The Spirit greeted us, and God was not late.” The local culture was different from my pastor’s American culture.
Time seems relative, but God is perfect and never late. Lazarus fell ill and died, but Jesus arrived only four days after his death. Lazarus’ sisters did not understand why He did this. “And Martha said to Jesus: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). We may feel the same way, wondering why God is taking so long to solve our problems. Instead, it is better to wait with faith for His answers and the manifestation of His power.
Theologian Howard Thurman wrote, “We wait, Father, for a part of Your strength to become our strength, for a part of Your heart to become our heart, for a part of Your forgiveness to become our forgiveness. We wait, God, we wait.” And then, when God answers, we, like Lazarus, will miraculously receive the blessing of what was not really a delay.
What action or provision do you expect from God right now? How to expect with faith?
Father, I am waiting for You. Give me Your strength and faithful hope in my waiting.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the truth, for they will be fed.” — Matthew 5:6
The gruesome assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. occurred at the height of the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. However, only four days later, his widow, Coretta Scott King, bravely led a peaceful protest march in his place. Coretta was a staunch defender of justice and was a well-known activist.
The Lord Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the truth, for they will be fed” (Mt. 5:6). One day God will come to do justice and restore justice, and in the meantime we have the opportunity to participate in spreading God’s justice on earth, as Coretta did. In the 58th chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, a vivid picture is drawn of what God calls His people to do: “Untie the shackles of ungodliness… let the oppressed go free… break bread to the hungry… bring the destitute into the house… cover the [naked]… and do not hide from [those who need help]” (vv. 6-7). Seeking justice for the oppressed and disadvantaged is one way to show God. The prophet Isaiah writes that the people who seek justice are like the morning dawn; the result is healing for the people (v. 8).
May God cause a famine for His truth on earth. The Bible says that if we seek God’s justice, we will be satisfied.
What kind of injustice catches your attention? What can be done to restore justice?
God, fill me with the desire for justice. Help me to participate in Your work to establish justice.
“I will rejoice in the Lord… I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!” — Habakkuk 3:18
Monika fervently prayed that her son would return to God. She cried because of his unholy way of life and even searched for him in the different cities where he chose to live. The situation seemed hopeless. However, one day it happened: her son experienced a meeting with God. And he became one of the most famous theologians of the church. We know him as Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
“Until… Lord?” (Hab. 1:2). The prophet Habakkuk wept because of God’s inaction regarding those in power who perverted justice (v. 4). Remember the times when we turned to God in despair, expressing our cry because of injustice, because of the ineffectiveness of treatment, because of financial difficulties, because of children who have strayed from God.
God heard Habakkuk’s cry every time he cried. Waiting with faith for God’s answer, we can follow the example of the prophet, who turned his weeping into praise, saying: “I will rejoice in the Lord … I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18). He did not understand God’s ways, but he trusted Him. Both crying and praise are manifestations of faith and trust. We cry to God on the basis of His character, and our praise to Him is based on Who He is—a wonderful, almighty God. And one day, thanks to His grace, any crying will turn into praise.
What is your cry today? How can it turn into praise?
Dear Jesus, remind me who You are and what You have done in my life.
