The following is taken straight from my journal as I meditated and interacted with a passage from the book of Luke as Jesus speaks about the parable of the lost sheep.
Luke 15:3-7
3So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.That single lost sheep is valuable to the shepherd. That one sheep is worth leaving the heard to climb up rocky side paths on the hillside; searching high and crawling under the brush searching low for the missing one. The shepherd will not stand to leave that one sheep to weather the elements alone — the rainstorm on the horizon or the wolf tracking its scent. No, the shepherd looks until he finds that one, wayward sheep. Continue Reading »»