READING: Ruth 1-4, Luke 14:12-15:10
The shepherd found his lost sheep, and he called his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him. The woman found her lost coin, and she, too, called others to rejoice. As we will learn in tomorrow’s New Testament reading, the father likewise threw a party when his prodigal son had come home.
Rejoicing when the lost are found—that’s exactly what we should do. There is rejoicing among the angels, and there ought to be rejoicing among the people of God.
My experience, though, is that we don’t always rejoice like we should when lost people become found—that is, when unbelievers are converted. I’ve been in churches where “extending the right hand of fellowship” is as good as it gets. We shake hands more than we party (and, in fact, some church members are more like the older brother in tomorrow’s reading when they’re not the focus of the story). I’m convinced, though, that our churches would do more evangelism and see more fruit if we actually rejoiced when the lost are found.
Here’s a suggestion for today: tell somebody how God found you when you became a believer—and rejoice again at His grace.
PRAYER: “God, help me to rejoice because You seek and find sinners.”
DAILY ACTION STEP: Do what I have suggested above: tell your story to somebody today.
TOMORROW’S READING: Weekend is for catch-up and review
MONDAY’S READING: 1 Samuel 1-3, Luke 15:11-32
