January 31, 2022
Welcome to the month of February, which is the month of love! While we certainly celebrate the ones we love; our spouses, children, family members, and friends. We must first celebrate the foundational love of God as our Father. Not everyone is comfortable calling God Father, either because they had a father who was abusive, not present, or because it’s hard to imagine the creator of the universe being that intimate with those He created. I promise He wants to be a Father to you, and He wants to embrace you as His own daughter or son.
I pray that as we spend time together this month, you will grow to understand how much God loves you. I pray that the atmosphere above your home will be saturated with His love and that you will sense Him raining that love down on you.
I’ve chosen a song to go along with each week; this week’s song inspiration is Reckless Love by Cory Asbury. (Side note: I’m friends with his mom LOL!) Here’s a small portion of the lyrics: “The overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God – oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I couldn’t earn it and I don’t deserve it. Still, You give Yourself away.” Please listen to the whole song by finding your favorite version on YouTube!
What about a scripture for this week? Let’s use the song lyrics as an inspiration. In The Passion Translation, (TPT) Matthew 18:11-14reads, “The Son of Man has come to give life to all who are lost. Think of it this way: If a man owns a hundred sheep and one lamb wanders away and is lost, won’t he leave the ninety-nine grazing the hillside and thoroughly search for the one lost Lamb? And if he finds his lost lamb, he rejoices over it, more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. Now you should understand that it is never the desire of your heavenly Father that a single one of these little ones should be lost.”
Did you see how the picture of the Father was brought into today’s story? It is the Father who sees the one who is lost from the others and in His love, He goes out to find that one. It doesn’t say the Father looks but never finds; it says He finds. How can that be? Because He knows exactly where the lost one is!
In the New Living Translation, (NLT), Ezekiel 34:11-16 speaks again of a similar scenario: “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!
May I also say that if the Father goes to search for the lost ones, He will bless us when we do the same. If someone you love is lost and alone, ask the Lord what He would have you do and then act. The Father knows where the heart of that lost one stands and He knows when she or he will be ready to return.
Maybe all you can do is pray, which is extremely powerful! Maybe you are to speak to them, invite them for lunch, or remind them you love them, etc. Whatever it is, please know that when you are acting in love toward one who is lost and alone, you are acting in step with your heavenly Father.
I bless you today as you love on the ones who are alone and hurting.
I want to invite you to join us for a Zoom prayer call on Tuesday, February 22nd from 6:30-7:30. Stay tuned for details!
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