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 “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?

Matthew 18:12 (NLT)

If I'm brutally honest, as a non shepherd, I would assume that if you have a hundred sheep and lose one, you just thank God you've still got ninety nine! A Good Shepherd however goes after the lost sheep. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate Good Shepherd.

I heard an American shepherd once talk about how he'd sit on a rocky outcrop in the Rockies overlooking his sheep scattered on the mountains with his rifle in hand, looking out for coyotes. He wouldn't just thank God for the ninety nine, he would defend the one that was threatened by a coyote. That's what God is like with us.

We might feel insignificant, like a lost sheep in the wilderness. The Lord is our Shepherd who doesn't let us stay lost. He comes and finds us in our lostness and brings us home rejoicing.

There's a heavenly party over one sinner who's saved, rather than over ninety-nine self-righteous people who don't think they need to repent. May we cry like a lost sheep for our Good Shepherd to find us. If we're sincere and have faith, He will assuredly do so.

'Good Shepherd of our souls, please be merciful and gracious to us, for we ask for Your honour and praise, amen'.

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