Daily Delight
I recently had a dream about this little lamb climbing up the side of a cliff. She kept turning back and wondering, “Does anyone even notice I am missing?” “Is anyone looking for me?” “Does anyone even care?” It rocked my world. This dream served as a reminder that we all have people in our lives that represent this little lamb; lonely, scared and wondering if anyone really cares. It was a wake-up kind of moment for me. And perhaps for you, too.
It’s time to quit daydreaming and go after people who need what we have; hope, joy, peace, and love.
The gospel that says, “He left the 99 for me!” Yes, He did! This is the message we are called to share with the world. The gospel message isn’t a private message, it’s a public post. It isn’t meant for a specific group of people. The 100 isn’t church people. The 100 isn’t non-church people. The 100 is all people, all loved by God. When we decide who God is searching for and who He rescues, we create our own version of the gospel. That's not how it works, folks. “He left the 99 for YOU too!” is the one, true message we should all have written on our hearts.
Whether a person has walked away from Jesus or they’ve never been reconciled to God, He wants everyone to know His love. This includes the wanderers, the cliff climbers and those isolated in fear and loneliness. Look around. Think about who is missing, who has wandered off and is lonely. Go look for them! And when you find them, love them with your whole heart.
Preaching isn’t always the answer. Judging is never the answer. This is a journey for us all. Let’s walk with people and embrace as many as we can along the way. Let’s work it out together.
“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” -2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (NLT)
About the Author
Theresa Fenton
Theresa loves spending her time fixing up and decorating homes, cooking, meeting new friends, influencing the world around her with hope and faith and ultimately – to love God and love people a whole bunch!