Sheep

 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Luke 15:4 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.15.4.ESV

I love Jesus's reasoning here. He's trying to reason with judgemental religious people. In this verse He's basically saying, 'do you think that God is less compassionate than you?'

Not being in an agrarian culture, we might struggle to appreciate this verse. I love how uneconomical it is. If we were thinking in purely economic terms, we might cut our losses and leave the one sheep.

In God's economy however, He cares for the one lost sheep, the solitary wayward soul. It's a cheesy saying, but I'm sure it's true that if I was the only lost soul, God would still go seeking after me.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He gave His life so that we could be His. That wasn't the end of the story. He's risen victorious over death.

'Dear Lord, thank You that Christ has died so that we can be found and known as Yours. Please help us to always follow You, for Your glory, amen'

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