Luke 15-17
I’ve always been amazed by how much we celebrate the birth of a baby and how little we celebrate the re-birth of a lost sinner. We sponsor baby showers, give gifts, throw parties, make announcements, and send pictures when a baby is born. When someone is born again, though, we offer a handshake — and perhaps a round of applause.
Compare that approach to the celebrating Jesus described in the three parables in Luke 15:
Luke 15:6 ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’
Luke 15:9 ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’
Luke 15:32 ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
Celebrate — a lost sinner has come to God. Celebrate — a person destined for hell has been redirected toward heaven. Celebrate — a dying person has been given new life. Sometimes it feels like we’re more like the older son in the parable of the prodigal son (upset that we didn’t get a party) than like those who celebrated when something lost was found.
It would do us good to celebrate more when salvation is evidenced in front of us. Throw a party (literally). Give good gifts (a new Bible, a devotional, a journal, a Christian CD). Invite others to celebrate, too. Share testimonies.
The grace of God that provides eternal life is worth celebrating.
RESPONSE: Celebrate your own conversion today. Remember God’s grace in saving you.
