Today’s Reading: Luke 15
Count the cost…NO ONE can be more important.
“If you want to be my disciples, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26
Count the cost…NOTHING can be more important.
“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” – Luke 14:31-33
Count the cost…AM I PREPARED to leave the ninety-nine to rescue the one?
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over nine-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” – Luke 15:4-7
Count the cost…How hard AM I WILLING to search for the lost? Am I praying for the prodigals?
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” – Luke 15:8-10
Count the cost…WILL I REJOICE when the lost one is found? Am I too focused on myself to find joy in someone else’s salvation?
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” – Luke 15:11-24
The father in Jesus’ parable never stopped loving his son. He was ready with arms wide open to welcome his repentant son back into the family. But this man had two sons and the other son had remained faithful to his father. When he saw the way in which his father was celebrating his undeserving brother, he began to feel sorry for himself. Even though his father had loved him equally, he didn’t feel celebrated or recognized for his faithfulness, so he refused to join the party. Instead of leaving him to his sulking and attitude of self-righteousness, the father came out and begged him to join them. He made an intentional effort to explain himself and invite the son who had stayed by his side to join the celebration.
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” – Luke 15:31-32
AM I PREPARED?
AM I WILLING?
WILL I REJOICE?
Perhaps it’s appropriate to ask ourselves this question again — “How much does this cost?” How much will it cost me to search for the lost and bring them home, and am I willing to pay that price? Am I all in? Is my heart decision following my head decision so that I can rejoice in what God wants to accomplish today? Do I recognize the relentless love of God in my own life, and do I choose to love others with that same kind of persistence?
May nothing in my life become so important that I lose my availability for what God wants me to do.
Lord, create in me a clean heart that desires what you desire and rejoices over what brings you joy! Forgive me for my self-righteousness and for focusing my attention on what I believe I deserve instead of humbly thanking you for everything you have done for me. Give me eyes to see the lost and a heart to join in the celebration when the lost are found. Amen.