Daily Reading: (Matthew 18:12-14):
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
Matthew 18:12-14: “What do you think?” Jesus asks a rhetorical question in this passage, but I think there is value in pausing and coming up with an answer to his question. What do you think in reference to how valuable you are to God? This is a very important question because what you think, whether it is correct or not, makes a really big difference in how you view yourself and how you view God’s disposition towards you.
Isaiah 13:12 says this to help you ascertain your own worth in Christ. ‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” Ophir is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a cargo from Ophir every three years,{1 Kings 10:22} which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Ophir was a place famous for its fine gold.
The point is God is the one who made us more valuable than anything else on the planet (Isaiah 13:12). The worth of a human soul can be estimated only by the light reflected from the cross of Calvary.
My salvation situation depends 100% on God’s love for me and God’s grace toward me and that can be seen and received through Jesus. The one sheep is in great danger as the sheep is entirely unable to protect itself and cannot save itself, it depends totally on the salvation of the shepherd (Matthew 18:12).
The parable of the lost sheep is about God’s pursuit to bring us back into his fold. We were separated from God by sin (Romans 3:23), but once we are found we will never be lost again. We were so valuable to God that the price to redeem us with the life of His only Son.
Daily Reading: (Matthew 18:12-14):
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”