Matthew 18:11-14: ” For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

How think ye? (What do you think) if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”

The incredible mercy of the Shepherd.

We have already established in posts past that God created and knew us before the foundations of this earth was lain.

Which is mind blowing, we were with God and once we are born to earth, we are given the choice to believe and accept or to follow after the evil and sin of the world.

While we are running amok through life, sinning and rejecting God, He is right there waiting for us to come to him.

Sometimes even after those lambs have reunited with the Shepherd, the toil and temptation of this world lures them away from the flock.

Harsh teachings and heavy-handed rule by those in charge of the earthly “pastures” also lead to hurt, wounds, and scatter those little lambs.

Running away they find themselves alone out in the mountainous wilderness, no other sheep in sight and the wolves howling in the distance, ready to attack and devour at any given moment.

Lambs are defenseless and only the Shepherd can protect and defend them.

Jesus tells us in this passage the value of that one little lost lamb.

The Shepherd will leave the entire flock to search for one little lamb and once he finds it, he does not beat it, he does not harshly question and accuse or threaten it.

He picks it up, places it gently over his shoulders and gently carries the little lamb back to the pasture where it belongs.

He is so merciful and gentle he will lead us through the process of dealing with what needs to be dealt with because some things would shatter our minds not to mention the absolute destruction of our souls if Jesus did not gently spiritually walk us through step by step.

Today if you know the Lord, take a moment to thank him for being your Shepherd.

If you have never committed to him, I promise that you are missing out on the best experience of your life.

If you are the little lamb in our passage, remember the Shepherd has never stop searching for you, you just need to stop playing hide and seek with him because he loves you.

You can’t save yourself only he can save you and give you a new start back where you belong.

The voice that lies and says that you have gone too far, and that God will never take you back into the flock is the voice of the enemy and it is the voice of lies.

As Jesus told us it is not God’s will that anyone perish and there is no higher authority. Jesus told us that in his word because he knew would we need to know that to fight that doubt.

Please do not listen to it, read that passage and read until it comes alive in your soul.

There is no punishment to that lamb, Jesus does not work that way, and we are not supposed to be in the business of trying to punish ourselves. 

That nonsense comes from the enemy also.

Picture this, a helpless lamb with a wolf bearing down ready to snatch it up and the Sheperd is trying his best to grab it and instead of being still so he can pick it up, it stubs up and shouts, “No, I deserve this, just let the wolf have me!”

Or worse says to the Shepherd, “Get away, I don’t need your help I can fight my own battles!”

Spiritually running from God is essentially the same thing.

I am not being harsh, that is not admirable, that is self-righteousness.

If God offers forgiveness with no questions asked, how are we smarter than God to refuse it?

He takes the lamb back in as if it had never strayed.

He does not expect us to be perfect, no one is except him, and we often let condemnation fill our minds that does not come from God.

Romans 8:1:”There is therefore now NO condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

I can’t let the day go by without thanking God, I am so thankful to Jesus for saving me twenty-four years ago today and completely delivering me for some serious trauma the next day.

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written performed by one the most beautiful voices God has blessed a human with.

I had purchased one of his albums years ago and when I heard this song and it hit my heart so strong that even to this day, I cannot listen to this without crying because it truly speaks of exactly what Jesus does and will do for us.

I hope it’s a blessing to you today! ❤️

NBJ 2024/ Rev. N. Brown Johnson

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