Luke 15: 1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'
10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
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I like to receive thank you's and pats on the back. At work I won a ton of awards and received recognition for doing some spectacular thing. In the community I received praise, plaques and prizes. None of what I received compares to the cheering and praise a person receives when the stop rejecting JESUS.
I sometimes get side tracked into thinking my existence is for work or school or whatever I'm doing at the moment. I pour myself into "that thing" for a while and I come home exhausted. I do this over and over until I need a vacation because I am burnt out.
While I am going on with my life, I don't notice the people around me who are dying. I'm not talking about physical death, I'm speaking about eternal death. People who reject JESUS as their savior are pursuing an eternal destiny of separation from HIM.
GOD wrote HIS laws in every humans' heart and I believe it is the rejection of what we already know that causes mankind to go to Hell. GOD does not take chances on losing HIS humans. HE took measures that would ensure "every" human could be saved.
It's amazing what HE did. HE gave me free will and saw that I would not choose HIM. HE then came to earth as a human and died in my place. HE saw every sin that I would ever commit and HE accepted me anyway.
- GOD accepted me when I lied.
- GOD accepted me when I stole.
- GOD accepted me when I lusted.
- GOD accepted me when I was lazy.
- GOD accepted me when I doubted HIM.
- GOD accepted me when I demanded that HE do something outside of HIS will.
My sins are forgiven because I no longer reject who JESUS is and what HE has done. Unfortunately there are a lot of humans who know this concept and reject it. "How can they know it?", you say. Again, GOD took precautions and wrote HIS law on every heart. My purpose is to be an example and a testimony to GOD showing humans HE accepted me in the middle of my sins.
I now have to tell people that HE accepted me without being cleaned up. People around the world have heard me tell them to accept not reject CHRIST. This is the most important thing I can do in life.
This purpose is for all Christians. All of us are to tell our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances about GOD's great acceptance. We should all be looking for the lost because we were found.
- What is your purpose in life?
- Do you think your work or school is more important than keeping someone from rejecting CHRIST?
- Is your relationship more important than keeping that person from rejecting CHRIST?
- Would you rather keep a friend on earth and watch them reject CHRIST and go to Hell?
- Is there someone you can seek to "find" today?
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