Digging Deeper – God Always Pursues Us
3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Luke 15:3-7 (NLT)
GOD ALWAYS PURSUES US
Panic began to set in. I had looked everywhere – and even places beyond the reasonable locations to find one of the rare material possessions on earth that I treasured: my University of Georgia class ring. I emptied nearly every drawer in the house, then began frantically looking through boxes in the basement, but nothing. Then, I started going through every piece of luggage – suitcases and duffel bags. Perhaps I had put it in there when we had moved into our new home just a few weeks prior. Nope.
After a week of scouring every nook and cranny, I finally gave up my search. It hurt to surrender any hope of finding the ring. I remembered that I had taken a photo of it and posted it on Instagram just a few months prior. So, I could at least remember it fondly as I scrolled through my iPhone photos from time to time.
If you’ve ever lost or misplaced something of value – personal or material – you know the feelings that come over you: exasperation, fear, anger, regret, fleeting hope, then sadness if you don’t recover it. I am not a guy who gets caught up in “things.” But with my ring, it was a special gift my parents gave me after earning my degree. It meant so much to me – and it had the Power G in gold, set in a red stone! I loved looking at it when it was on my finger.
In the passage above, Jesus is talking about lost treasure of a different type: a lost soul. Far more valuable than the shepherd’s missing sheep – or a class ring – this lost man or woman is being pursued by the Lord, and the search will never be called off. And aren’t you glad! If you have a son, daughter, parent, friend, or neighbor who is spiritually lost, there is hope!
The Story contained in scripture is one of a loving Heavenly Father who relentlessly chases after his children. He pursued Adam and Eve, even after their tragic and fatal error in judgment. He pursued Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. He chased down Moses, David, and Elijah. And in the New Testament, Jesus sought out prostitutes, tax collectors, murderers, and thieves. Why? Because every soul matters!
He does the same today. It might look different than it did thousands of years ago, as He chooses to use His children to share His message with the hopeless, to serve and to give to those in need. But make no mistake: He is forever on the move, while the saints plan the heavenly celebration for the one who turns to Him!
C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.
