Matthew – God’s Purposes
I seriously believe that I am a devoted child of God because Jesus won’t let me go far from His sight. It is not because of anything I have done or anything I deserve. It is only because I said yes to Him long ago so I am His and He is mine. Many of us feel that way. But we are like sheep. Sheep are not smart. They are dumb and do dumb things. They follow whoever is leading at the moment…even if that means off a cliff to their death. Remember what your parents said (and now you say it to your kids)? “If Billy jumped off a cliff, are you going to do it, too?” We say no, at the time, but then we jump with Billy!
I read a true story a few years ago about a Turkish shepherd who had about 1000 sheep in his care. One of the adult sheep decided to make a run for it from the grass where they were feeding and cared for by the shepherd. He ran right off a high cliff to his death below. One at a time, the other sheep followed! He lost a whole herd that day in a matter of minutes because of one who left and leaped. At the bottom of the cliff was just one big pile of wool sweaters and a huge loss to the economy of the village!
Seriously though, we are thankful our Shepherd goes after us and brings us back. Because of our wanderings, He might find us broken and bruised. Sometimes our Shepherd, like shepherds of sheep, must wrestle us to the ground, tie our legs and carry us back to the fold. Whatever it takes, Jesus comes for us. That’s how much Jesus loves and cares for each one of us who decides to make a run for it. We are so dumb, like sheep, sometimes. It is no wonder we are compared to sheep in the Bible.
Matthew 18, NLT
Parable of the Lost Sheep12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
God sent Jesus to go after the lost and save us all, bringing us back to the One who created all and is in all. Praise God for His love–His overwhelming love! What a celebration it is in heaven when we follow the Shepherd and come back to the fold! Baaa! (Happy sheep sound).
I woke with this song this morning before reading this passage…Reckless Love
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over meYou have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God,
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me…
Dear Lord and Savior,
Thank you for coming after me. I love you with all my heart, mind and soul because You left Your throne in heaven to come after all of us. AND you’re coming back!
In Jesus Name, Amen
