Jesus seeks and saves the lost!

 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 NIV)

Have you ever been lost?

I have been lost many times over the years! I'm sure glad they finally invented GPS systems, which I depend on a lot! When I was growing up my family used to jokingly say, “Mike could get lost at a picnic.” They were probably right. When I was about five, I was with my dad and big brother David, in San Francisco. Dad stopped at a department store downtown and parked right in front of the entrance. We went inside together and walked around looking at things. Somehow I got separated from them. It was a large store and I still remember clearly how afraid I felt when I realized they were no longer near me. I looked around the store but could not find them.  Eventually I remembered that we had parked in front of the entrance, so I found the door and headed out to the street to find our car. It was gone! I didn't know what to do and sat down on the curb and cried. I was sure they had left without me. Then a woman walked over to me and asked what was wrong. I told her I couldn't find my daddy. She saw a policeman on a motorcycle and called him over.  At that moment out of the store walked my dad and brother! I jumped up and happily ran to them. They had been looking for me. All along. I was so relieved to see them! When I told my daddy that the car was not where he had parked it, he explained that the big store had several entrances that looked exactly alike, and I had come out the wrong one. The car was exactly where it had been all along.

Jesus told lots of stories about lost and found things

The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and the parable of the lost sheep, (Luke 15:3-7) are two examples about lost and found things that Jesus spoke about. And, of course, I can't leave out the story of the prodigal son, about the young man who had left his father deliberately, and was seemingly lost to the world. But, he finally came to his senses, headed back home and there found his father, who had been watching all along for his return. The lost boy had been found and the father welcomed him back home with a party (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus said this is an example of how God is towards us.

God is happy when you return to Him!

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.” (Zach. 1:3 NIV)