I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I confess today that I am prone to wander away from the “flock.” I am prone to leave the “fold” and go it on my own. I pray, first, for forgiveness. Forgive my disobedience. Forgive my conscience and even my unconscious turning from Your will. Forgive me when I have not only turned away from You myself, but have also caused others to turn away, due to my lack of faithfulness. Forgive me and restore me right now! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may listen to Your voice, and do Your will. Fill me with Your Holy Sprit that I may respond to each of Your commands in my life with faithfulness and obedience. Use me today as one who draws others back into Your “fold.” Use me to glorify Yourself, and to honor Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Thank You for Your great love that caused Jesus to come to the earth to free me from my sins. Thank You that He was willing to lay down His life for the “sheep,” and for this particular “sheep.” Let my gratitude for His sacrifice be evident in everything that I think, say and do. These things I pray in the name of Jesus, and for the sake of His ever-advancing Kingdom. Amen
God's Word Today
Matthew 18:12-14
12“If a shepherd has one hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? 13And if he finds it, he will surely rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Reflecting on God's Word
When you think of the shepherd searching for lost sheep, what is your response?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What analogy does Jesus use in today’s Scripture to get us to understand how precious every single person is to Him? (18:12-14)
What is the response of God when one person responds to Jesus’ offer of salvation? (18:12-14)
What is God’s will for each of our lives? (18:14)
Understanding God's Purpose
What does today’s Scripture tell us about God’s purpose for our lives?
What comfort do you find in reading today’s Scripture and seeing how concerned God is about our salvation?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What one thing will you do as a result of having read today’s Scripture?
Thoughts...Looking for ONE Lost Sheep!
As we have examined Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd this week and seen how concerned He is about our health and safety, today’s Scripture points out that Jesus’ great concern isn’t just for “all” the sheep, but for every individual sheep as well! Jesus will not be satisfied until every single person on the planet has had the opportunity to receive Him as the Good Shepherd of their lives. In fact, the Good Shepherd is willing to leave the “99” to go out in search of one. Given the ways of sheep, the likelihood of the 99 staying put is not great! We must realize that Jesus is concerned about every sheep-the 99 as well as the one, but at times He is willing to leave the 99 who are already found on their own, to search for the one that is lost. This is so instructive for our lives as Jesus’ followers! We aren’t called to a life of comfort in the fold. We are called to go and search for the lost along with Jesus. The great part of being one of Jesus’ sheep is that we get to be part of the “search party” who goes out to look for the lost. As we go about this day, lets be on the look out for the least, the last and the lost, for it isn’t God’s will that even one ought to perish!
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