“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:10-14
The Word of God for today is “Jesus never quits.” He is continually looking for an open heart.
Jesus wants you and I to be teachable.
The disciple of Christ should be like a child in the formative years of his development. The child is innocent, meek, and open to learning. He is also vulnerable to the evil influences of the world.
Jesus is not a profiler of people. He loves all regardless of their personality, faults, ethnicity, or stature in life.
Jesus never gives up on you even though you repeatedly reject Him or adopt the lifestyle of the prodigal son.
This parable about the wandering sheep describes the personality of Jesus and how He wants you and I to follow in His example.
We cannot reject a believer because he or she does not conform to our standards of a Christ follower. Or, put a lackluster effort into our ministry.
Jesus does not want you to despise or reject anyone. He dispatches angels to look over believers. The purpose of the angel is to protect and guide you into the pathway of God. The angel is a ministering spirit and sees the face of God at all times.
In this parable, the man owned one hundred sheep but one sheep strayed away and was lost. This man was willing to go to any length to save the one sheep.
The man found the lost sheep and this gave him a deep sense of joy and inner satisfaction. He had a deeper appreciation for this one sheep than the other ninety nine that were not lost.
Jesus feels the same way about you. His priority is to rescue and restore you to God. Nothing is more important to Him!
Hal Hollister Ministry 