This Is Us | Journeying Together | The Lost Sheep

If a man has 100 sheep and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99…and search for the one?  Matt.18:12

“Why do you spend so much time on that guy, Pastor Dan?” asked Bryan. “He’s got a stack of problems higher than my head. He quit our church three times, but always came back, tail between his legs. When’s he gonna learn?” Pastor Dan smiled at his young assistant. “Bryan, you feel God has called you to pastor someday, don’t you? Well, pastoring isn’t like being a boss at a company where you can fire troublemakers. Pastors are like shepherds, and a good shepherd would never let one of his sheep wander off without going in search of it. Our Good Shepherd came in search of me and you, and He expects me to go in search of a lamb that has wandered off. I answer to my Shepherd for the welfare of my sheep, and you will too some day.”

When Jesus gave the parable about the Good Shepherd, He was making a strong point to a group of people who thought their standing with God was secure because of their nationality. Jesus made them rethink that. He compared human beings to sheep and reminded them that just as individual lambs matter to their shepherds, individual people matter to God. He sees the one who is wandering away, the one caught in a thicket, and the one playing dangerously close to a cliff. And He goes after them. He expects His people to help with that. He puts us in flocks, called churches, then He places the weak lambs with stronger sheep and the younger with the older to help them all grow. At Cedar point, we call those places Life Groups.  

Final Thought:  Where are you in the flock?
Prayer: Father, thank you for coming after me when I was wandering. Now it’s my turn to help you shepherd others. Where do you want me? Please direct me to a life group where I can both serve and be held accountable. In Jesus’ name, Amen.