LEARNING DAILY

 

Luke 19:10, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Jesus

 

When a person seeks something or someone, they pursue it or him/her until it is found. We pursue money, things, fame because they are important to us. We pursue that special someone because we want to be friends with them. God pursues us because each one of us is important to Him.

 

In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd left the ninety-nine to go find the one that was lost. In the parable of the lost coin a woman did not sweep the floor until it was found; she lit a lamp and searched carefully for the coin. The third parable in Luke 15:1-32, was about a lost son, a prodigal, that described a father who traveled a great distance each day in order to see the horizon, to have the best vantage point to see his son return. “Lost is the best word to describe a person’s condition without a Savior. Lost things cannot serve their purpose, and they lack the ability to return where they belong – they must be found. In Christianity, God searches for (goes after) people as opposed to other religions where people attempt to find God. The coming of God in Christ is the God of heaven seeking the lost (Luke 19:10)” (DJSB).

 

Because no person can reach God through our own efforts, He sent His Son to seek, to pursue each of us to die in our place, to pay the price of our sin filled life. The Old Testament is full of an obstinate people – the Jewish people – who continually rejected God to serve foreign idols and pursue their own desires. But God pursued them through His prophets, judges, and even King David to bring them back to following only Him. In Isaiah 65:1-2 He said through Isaiah, “’Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was called by My name. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walked in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts;”. He continues to pursue those who have rejected His salvation through Jesus Christ today.

 

He continues to pursue each of us who walk on the narrow way after receiving salvation. We need to be changed and that is a process that occurs on the narrow way to eternity in God’s kingdom. That process involves His comfort; James 4:8 tells us to, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” He will also correct us through His Word (2 Timothy3:16) and requires each of us to live according to His Word. It is His discipline that helps cleanse us of unrighteousness and conforms us to His image. Even after we are saved, He pursues us to live righteously and in a relationship with Him; that is the only way we bear fruit (John 15) for His kingdom.

 

I do not believe there is any greater honor given to us than to be pursued by the Creator of all things so that we live for Him and bear fruit that honors and glorifies Him!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.