There are lost people in need of the hope of Christ all around us. The barista at our favorite local coffee shop needs Christ. The coworker who sits quietly in his office and keeps to himself needs Christ. The teacher at your child's school needs Christ. As Christ's followers, we have the privilege of spreading the hope of Christ to these people who need the hope that Christ offers. The question is, will we have the eyes to see people around us?
Jesus told a story that shows how much each person matters to God and the efforts He makes to reach the lost. Jesus said to the listening crowd one day, "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?" (verse 12). The unanswered, obvious answer to this question is, "Yes, a man will, of course, leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost." Just like a shepherd would leave ninety-nine sheep to search for the one sheep that is lost, God goes to great lengths to find the lost. The greatest example of this is that God the Father sent Jesus at just the right time to rescue humanity from sin. There is nothing that God would not do to seek out the lost.
As God's children, we have the privilege of making Him known throughout the world. The question is, will we look around us to see those who are lost? Will we purposefully and intentionally look for and seek out the lost? What are you waiting for, friend? May we take Jesus' command seriously in Scripture to make disciples and go to great lengths to find those who are lost. As His followers, there is nothing more significant that we can do with our time on earth than make Christ known to those around us.
Commit today to be on the lookout for those who need the hope that Christ offers. Pay attention to those who are hurting, and encourage them. Share your favorite verse with them if they are struggling. Invite them to come to church with you this weekend. Tell them about the difference Christ has made in your life. There are people who are hurting all around us who need Jesus. Let's commit to looking for them.
Matthew 18:1-14.
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[a] is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
