Image from bloorlansdownechristianfellowship.wordpress.com
Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4ptFFTV
View devo here: https://bit.ly/45UUlnf
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I 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. 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:1-10)
Friend, don't stay lost or get left behind! I hope you're having a good day today and are seeking ways to deepen your faith and strengthening your walk with the Lord today!
I hope you don't tire of my personal stories; I am a man of a certain age and as an example of that affliction, the other day I was talking on the phone with an old friend and as we were wrapping up, one of us said, "One quick story before we hang up," and after the ten-minute story, the other of us said the same thing, "One quick story before we hang up," and another ten minutes of story-sharing; and after about 45 minutes of story after story, we finally hung up.
We were living in Kingsville, and my Dad's only sister and family had moved north to Victoria. They had a home on the outskirts of Victoria and she wrote my Dad inviting us to go and spend a Saturday with them. I was ten years old at the time and as the oldest I got to sit in the front seat with Mom and Dad. On this trip, Mom had brought my aunt's letter as she had drawn a map on how to get to her home from the highway from the south from Kingsville, Out of curiosity I pulled the letter down from the sun visor and read the map and memorized it. We arrived at their home and they had planned for us to go to the Victoria Zoo. That was a treat as Kingsville did not have a zoo, and we had a good time there. My aunt and uncle had four kids, we had five, so the trip to the zoo necessitated using both vehicles; the boys in one car, and the girls in the other. We had two girls, and three boys, and my aunt one boy and three girls; my aunt drove the girls and my Dad drove the boys. We had a blast seeing the animals in the small zoo. Being a working "man" at the time I had my own money. And as you exited the zoo, there was a snow cone stand. It was a typical hot Texas day and so a snow cone sounded just right. I took out my money and stood in line for the snow cone, not bothering to let any adult know of my plans. I ordered my snow cone and immediately started to savor its sweet, fruity taste. As I looked around I saw no one I knew. None of my cousins nor any of my siblings. Wait. I got left behind! But I wasn't lost.
I wish I could tell you that I ate my delicious snow cone calmly and without crying. So I won't. But I knew where I was and where I needed to go. Did I tell you the snow cone was delicious? It was but it was quickly gone. And on I walked. I knew the side streets and I knew exactly where I needed to be. Soon I was out of town and I could see my aunt's subdivision as I near the turn into it, I saw the two cars and my Mom jumping out of her car and running, crying, to get me and hug me. I was scolded but overall I felt the love of both parents for having been lost from them.
If you've ever felt lost, forgotten, or beyond redemption, these parables are Jesus' personal invitation to you. You're not too far gone. You're not too damaged. You're not too shameful. You are the one sheep worth leaving the ninety-nine to find. You are the precious coin worth turning the house upside down to recover.
God isn't waiting for you to find your way back to Him—He's already looking for you. He's not angry that you wandered off; He's determined to bring you home. The very fact that you feel the tug of His love, the stirring of spiritual hunger, the longing for something more—that's evidence that the Good Shepherd is already on your trail.
But Jesus isn't just speaking to the lost—He's also addressing the found, the religious, the ones who have been following the rules. The Pharisees represent those who have never strayed far from God, and their grumbling reveals a heart problem: they don't share God's joy over the lost being found.
If you've been a faithful follower for years, these parables challenge you to examine your heart. Do you celebrate when someone far from God comes to faith, or do you secretly resent the attention they receive? Do you welcome new believers with joy, or do you think they should have to earn their place like you did?
These parables reveal something profound about God's character: He is actively involved in seeking the lost. He doesn't sit in heaven waiting for sinners to get their act together and come crawling back. He pursues, searches, seeks until He finds.
This means that every person who feels far from God is actually being pursued by God. Every stirring of spiritual hunger, every moment of conviction, every longing for meaning and forgiveness—these are signs of the Good Shepherd's presence, drawing His sheep back to safety.
You might feel like you're the one seeking God, but the truth is, He was seeking you long before you knew you were lost. Your spiritual journey isn't about finding God—it's about being found by the God who never stopped looking for you.
Both parables end the same way: with celebration. The shepherd calls together his friends and neighbors. The woman gathers her friends. The implication is clear—when someone is found, it's too good to keep quiet. It demands to be shared, celebrated, proclaimed.
This is how we should respond when we witness God's rescuing work in people's lives. When someone comes to faith, when a prodigal returns, when a life is transformed by grace—these are moments that call for celebration, not judgment or skepticism.
The religious leaders grumbled about Jesus eating with sinners. Jesus responds by showing that heaven itself throws parties for these very people. The question is: will we join the celebration, or will we stay outside, grumbling about grace?
PRAYER: Good Shepherd, thank You for being the God who seeks rather than the God who simply waits. Thank You for coming after us when we wander, for pursuing us when we're lost, for carrying us home when we're found. Help us understand the depth of Your love—that we matter to You individually, specifically, irreplaceably. When we feel lost or forgotten, remind us that You are already looking for us. When we feel beyond redemption, show us that we are worth the search. Give us hearts that celebrate when the lost are found. Help us resist the older brother syndrome that resents grace given to others. Make us people who welcome sinners as You do, who rejoice over transformed lives as heaven does. Thank You that our worth isn't determined by how far we've wandered but by how much You love us. Help us live as people who have been found by the God who never gave up on us. In Jesus' strong name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, if you feel lost or distant from God, remember that He is actively seeking you—respond to His pursuit with openness and trust. If you feel secure in your faith, look for opportunities to celebrate God's work in someone else's life, especially someone who might be taking their first steps toward Him.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
