One Sheep
What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?
If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Mathew 18:12-14
Jesus, help me to write this so that your glory would be the result. Help me share what you showed me this weekend, about the measures you are prepared to take in order to bring one sheep to the flock. Help me to show the depth of your love.
I was amazed at the love the Lord showed me this past weekend, as we had a visitor out at the bulb farm. She was an old friend of one of my coworkers, out to see the farm, the cabin and a little bit of Texas. And as she later told me, she came to find “something that was lost.” She felt that God had somehow “called her to action” as a part of taking this trip to Texas. And once she arrived, I felt the Spirit urging me to talk with her.
Over the next few days, we spent hours on long car trips, a night at Northgate in College Station and a night out dancing in Tyler, where we discussed finance, politics, religion… all the stuff you’re not supposed to discuss with acquaintances… and got to talk a lot about Jesus. The last day, Sunday morning, we visited a new church (which I will join) and had breakfast at the local donut shop.
Over breakfast, I told her a story about a car wreck I had, before I had a relationship with Jesus… and how I nearly lost my life to stupidity and partying. She then asked what “turned me around,” at which point I shared my testimony, the good and the ugly. And, that was it… she left later that afternoon to head back to Maryland.
Monday morning, I got an unexpected email:
“I thought before this trip I had a relationship with Christ, it turns out I was wrong. It was just a name, something said in a prayer, something expressed in a service. Not a one-on-one relationship as my personal savior and guide through life. Yesterday was a revelation.”
The email broke me. What honesty! Lord, if everyone could be so honest – how many more could be spared? A precious soul; what could possibly be more important than what God Himself died to save? But it doesn’t end there. The morning before she left, she went back to visit with the pastor of my new church and accepted Christ. She was bold in her pursuit and found Jesus as a result.
The measures God took to reach her astound me! Forming a friendship that was the basis of her divine appointment in Texas, urging her to visit... all the while giving her friends back home who love God... the Lord taught me about the depth of His love, how He would burn everything, pass on all opportunities, give everything He owned, just to save one sheep. Just to save me. That is the heart of God.
Lord, help me to have your heart. A heart that abandons every pursuit that doesn’t lead to eternity... help me to pass when the enemy offers me the world, and instead pursue things you consider worthy!
If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Mathew 18:12-14
Jesus, help me to write this so that your glory would be the result. Help me share what you showed me this weekend, about the measures you are prepared to take in order to bring one sheep to the flock. Help me to show the depth of your love.
I was amazed at the love the Lord showed me this past weekend, as we had a visitor out at the bulb farm. She was an old friend of one of my coworkers, out to see the farm, the cabin and a little bit of Texas. And as she later told me, she came to find “something that was lost.” She felt that God had somehow “called her to action” as a part of taking this trip to Texas. And once she arrived, I felt the Spirit urging me to talk with her.
Over the next few days, we spent hours on long car trips, a night at Northgate in College Station and a night out dancing in Tyler, where we discussed finance, politics, religion… all the stuff you’re not supposed to discuss with acquaintances… and got to talk a lot about Jesus. The last day, Sunday morning, we visited a new church (which I will join) and had breakfast at the local donut shop.
Over breakfast, I told her a story about a car wreck I had, before I had a relationship with Jesus… and how I nearly lost my life to stupidity and partying. She then asked what “turned me around,” at which point I shared my testimony, the good and the ugly. And, that was it… she left later that afternoon to head back to Maryland.
Monday morning, I got an unexpected email:
“I thought before this trip I had a relationship with Christ, it turns out I was wrong. It was just a name, something said in a prayer, something expressed in a service. Not a one-on-one relationship as my personal savior and guide through life. Yesterday was a revelation.”
The email broke me. What honesty! Lord, if everyone could be so honest – how many more could be spared? A precious soul; what could possibly be more important than what God Himself died to save? But it doesn’t end there. The morning before she left, she went back to visit with the pastor of my new church and accepted Christ. She was bold in her pursuit and found Jesus as a result.
The measures God took to reach her astound me! Forming a friendship that was the basis of her divine appointment in Texas, urging her to visit... all the while giving her friends back home who love God... the Lord taught me about the depth of His love, how He would burn everything, pass on all opportunities, give everything He owned, just to save one sheep. Just to save me. That is the heart of God.
Lord, help me to have your heart. A heart that abandons every pursuit that doesn’t lead to eternity... help me to pass when the enemy offers me the world, and instead pursue things you consider worthy!
posted by Brad at 9:08 PM
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