THURSDAY, MAY 26
READ MATTHEW 18:10-14
MATTHEW 18:10 See that you never despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually seeing the face of my Father in heaven. 11 [Matthew 18:11 Some manuscripts include verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost.]
12 “What’s your opinion? What will somebody do who has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go off to find the stray? 13 And if he happens to find it? Yes! I tell you he is happier over it than over the ninety-nine that never strayed! 14 Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.
-------We Christians have a penchant for making the simplicity of our faith downright complex. We desire to have spelled out in detail what we are to do, when, toward whom, how often, and when we can stop. For Jesus, rules simply illustrate how to live a faith not governed by rules.
My favorite story concerns a tiny gray lamb. The other sheep ostracize her for being different and, in feeling unwanted, she comes to believe that she is not worthy of being wanted. If she is dumb and unlovable, then it hardly matters what she does. Whether thoughtful or mischievous, she will never belong. This heaviness descends over her until there comes a day when she doesn’t care anymore—so she wanders off. The farther away she drifts, the more certain she is that if the other sheep do notice, it will be with a snicker of “good riddance.” Night comes, and the darkness is darker than she recalls it ever being before. She hears strange noises. She is cold, hungry, and frightened.
But sometime during that shivering night, the lamb dares to believe that she hears within the harsh wind a hint of a familiar voice, even the sound of her name. It is the shepherd who has left the ninety-nine because of her.
The frightened lost lamb fears she is within seconds of a sound thrashing or worse. But there are neither angry words nor a blow from the shepherd’s staff. Instead, he lifts her gently, wraps her in his own cloak, and after a long embrace puts her securely on his shoulders, saying, “I’ve missed you!” The shepherd himself understands what it means to be scorned and abused. And so home they go, enjoying the love and warmth of each other.
Shepherd of all, hold me in your warm and loving embrace until my fears subside. Amen.[W. Paul Jones, From Becoming Who God Wants You to Be]
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
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