Jesus the Good Shepherd, Who Saves the Lost

“Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to change.”-Luke 15:3-7

We all were once lost sheep. We all have wandered away from God one time or another. When we stray from Him, He is willing to forgive us and accepts us into His kingdom. When we wander away from God we are destined for destruction or hell. But Jesus is the good shepherd who searches for the lost, brings them to repentance, and saves them.

Try not to be like the Pharisees and Scribes in Luke 15:3-7 who Jesus was talking to. They were just as lost as everyone else but were too proud to admit it. God is against the proud and finds no satisfaction from self-righteous hypocrites who were too proud to admit their wretched sinfulness.

God is full of joy even when only one person out of ninety-nine repents and turns from sin. When one person repents, there is a celebration in heaven. It is like a crowd of people at a sporting event cheering for their favorite team. All the angels, saints, and God in heaven are celebrating our salvation when we accept Jesus as our savior. God does not want anyone to be lost but all to change their hearts and lives (2 Peter 3:9). Is that one person you?

Prayer of the day:

Dear heavenly Father,

We were lost sheep until we were found. Jesus saved us from destruction and hell. He is the good shepherd who guides us to You. We would like the angels, the saints and You to celebrate our salvation. Please help us not to stray from You. It is easy to stray from You because we are sinners and inherited our sinful nature from Adam and Eve. That is why we need Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!