He Came To Seek
Luke 19:10 ESV says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Today I want to remind you that Jesus is not idly waiting for you. He is seeking after his people, desiring to save and restore. Do you remember the parable of the lost sheep? When just one sheep strayed from the flock, the shepherd went out after it. When he found that lost lamb, he picked it up and restored it to the herd.
This is an image of us before the Lord.
We often look at the parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15 and Matthew 18 and cast ourselves as the shepherd. It is frequently used as a lesson on evangelism. While that message is not wrong, we must see ourselves as the sheep in the story—desperately lost and needing the shepherd to come and find us.
Seeing ourselves as the sheep reframes repentance and what it means to walk in freedom. If we only cast ourselves as the shepherd, we may forget that we were hopelessly lost and stuck at one time.
Praise God that the shepherd came seeking after us!
How does this posture shape your abiding today? Perhaps you would find a renewed posture of humility and gratitude. We must recognize today that our freedom is dependent on the goodness of the Lord. Anything we would boast about is only possible because Jesus sought us out and saved us in his mercy and grace.
A simple but profound shift occurs when we see ourselves under God’s grace. This is where he wants us to be.
How different would your abiding be when you saw yourself as a forgiven and free child of God?
What would change as you realize that your faith and religious accomplishments had nothing to do with your ability and everything to do with God’s mercy?
Could you enter into the truth today that increased freedom and maturity in God do not come from our increased striving but the increase of God’s favor and grace in our lives?
Abiding is a chore when it is from our own strength. When we see that the nature of God seeks and saves the lost, we know how to posture ourselves to receive more grace. This is a kingdom secret I do not want you to miss. Favor (grace) comes to the humble. A humble heart receives more than a striving heart could ever earn. So choose humility, and let the shepherd find you today.
Amen.
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