The Value Found in the Lost Sheep

You Are That Important 

Yesterday while listening to a video of the song "Reckless Love" the writer/singer of the song talked about where the concept came from. He talked about the parable found in the Bible regarding the Lost Sheep and God's love for us. 

I have been meditating on this parable for two days! I kept thinking God I get it, but why am I being brought back to this passage again and again. Tonight I was thinking about last nights prayer service at church and we were praying for the "lost" and there has been an ongoing prayer about the people from past generations "coming back home." As I began meditating tonight I realized why I keep thinking about this parable. 

So often we get into this mindset in our churches and personal walks where we find our niche of people. We tend to find like-minded people and congregate to those people. Like sheep we find our flock and do our thing. Notice how when the one sheep got lost the other sheep didn't even notice or stop what they were doing to go find that lost sheep. It was the Shepherd who noticed the sheep had gone astray and so he left the 99 in search of the 1. Ahhh! We always focused on the dude looking for the lost sheep. Never have I thought about the other sheep and their total ladeda attitudes, I get it they are sheep haha however the story itself is suppose to be proving a point using real people. Follow me here. 

If we are the "sheep" have we gotten to this place where we are so caught up in ourselves and what we are doing that we haven't noticed those that have gone astray? Have we gotten so accustomed to our way of doing things or have our own set of peeves that we are unwilling to go after those who have dropped off the grid? When are we going to begin stepping out of the norm and moving into that place where we notice the things around us? When are we going to begin to look out for those God has placed in our paths and begin chasing them down? 

That 1 sinner was more important then the 99 righteous. We need to learn to see the value in the lost. Not just look at the world and think to ourselves we don't want to go messing with all that craziness. I mean don't get me wrong I totally love our church and don't like people messing with it's DNA ha-ha. However, we ALL need to make room for changes and we ALL need to begin looking at those around us and begin asking God for direction on how to reach those people whom he has put directly in our paths.

Every church is strategically placed, every home is strategically placed and every person is strategically placed to be used in the area in which God has called them. Where has God called you? What can you do today, tomorrow, next week to cultivate this mentality of the "1?" What can we do to further advance God's Kingdom and how can we be used to reach the lost and begin to take notice of the things in which we may have ignored in the past.

God is up to something and we need to have eyes to seen and ears to hear! 

God finds value in you! You are all important! Nothing you have done or are currently doing can keep you from His love. He loves you without reservation. You are the 1! 

Love and Blessings

Jessica xo

Luke 15 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he 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.