NOVEMBER 27
FATHER LEAVES THE NINETY-NINE
Matthew 18:12-14
12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (WEB)
Our Father is not willing that one should perish. He will gladly leave the ninety-nine to find the one person who is lost. Because of His father's heart, He sees every lost person as one of His 'little ones' who needs to be rescued. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories... The parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.
Each one of these stories has a common theme. The heart of our Father is to pursue each one who is outside of His house and when He finds them, He throws a party! If thousands of people come to Christ every day around the world, what must heaven be like? From today's Scripture reading, I think heaven is one celebration after another!
My prayer today is that we would all know the heart of our Heavenly Dad towards us. If you are feeling like you are lost, call out to Him and He will rescue you! If you are feeling like you are stuck in a pig pen of your own mistakes, head towards home. Your Father is waiting for you and He will gladly leave the ninety-nine to find you!
Luke 15:11-24
11 He said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 14 When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. (WEB)
12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (WEB)
Our Father is not willing that one should perish. He will gladly leave the ninety-nine to find the one person who is lost. Because of His father's heart, He sees every lost person as one of His 'little ones' who needs to be rescued. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories... The parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.
Each one of these stories has a common theme. The heart of our Father is to pursue each one who is outside of His house and when He finds them, He throws a party! If thousands of people come to Christ every day around the world, what must heaven be like? From today's Scripture reading, I think heaven is one celebration after another!
My prayer today is that we would all know the heart of our Heavenly Dad towards us. If you are feeling like you are lost, call out to Him and He will rescue you! If you are feeling like you are stuck in a pig pen of your own mistakes, head towards home. Your Father is waiting for you and He will gladly leave the ninety-nine to find you!
Luke 15:11-24
11 He said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 14 When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. (WEB)