Dear friends,
According to the Department of Statistics, the average American spends one full year of their life looking for lost things. This interesting fact was in an article entitled “Lost and Found” in the New Women’s Devotional Bible. Last Saturday I had driven about a kilometer from our home when one of my daughters told me that she had put a bag on top of the trunk. I turned around and started looking for a bag on the pavement. We were hoping that a neighbor would find it and return it, because it contained an article of clothing with our daughter’s name on it, but so far no one has come to us with the bag.
In Luke 15, the Lord Jesus told three parables that reveal how much God values the salvation of one person. In the parable of the lost son, Jesus said that the father saw his son when he was still a long way off (verse 20). It is likely that the father often looked down the road which his son had walked on weeks or months before.
The earthly father is a vivid picture of our heavenly Father. He was filled with compassion for his son, just as God the Father is full of compassion for us, despite our defiance. In “The Common Made Holy,” Neil T. Anderson and Robert L. Saucy write: “Power for the Christian is found in the truth, and the power of the devil is in the lie. If you expose Satan’s lies, you will destroy his power because he truly is a defeated foe.”
The younger son in the parable recorded in Luke 15 acted in a disgraceful manner by asking his father for his share of the estate. His father reacted in a loving way and continued to extend grace to his son when he returned home after he “squandered his wealth in wild living” (verse 13). Beginning with the temptation in the Garden of Eden, the devil tries to entice people to sin against God by twisting His Word and telling us that we are lacking something. The prodigal son believed the lie that he would be happier if he had a lot of money. He soon discovered that his “friends” disappeared when his cash ran out.
The writer of the article entitled “Lost and Found” writes: “Jesus still searches for the lost. Where did he find you?” I thank the Lord that he found me in my room on January 9, 1973, compassionately offering me forgiveness for my sins. If you haven’t repented of your sin and received His gift of salvation, don’t delay. If you are wandering in a place far away from the presence of the Father, turn around and seek restoration. You will be glad you did!
Thought for the weekend: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” – Corrie ten Boom (from “Turning Points” magazine – May 2017)
By His grace,
Steve