The Lost
Posted on September 7, 2015 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call
Do you concern yourself with the lost like He does?
“Honey, where’s Olivia?”
“Excuse me. Have you seen Olivia?”
“Did you see Olivia?”
My heart began to race. My breathing got shallow. I froze dead in my tracks. I started crying out, “But I only went to the bathroom!”
For those minutes she went missing at church, I felt a piece of me leave. I was hurt. I was in shock. I was so concerned.
I later realized perhaps that’s how God feels when we get lost.
You see, Olivia, aka Miss Independent, is a wanderer with little fear and concern for consequences. Does that sound familiar?
In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus beautifully lays out for us how diligently and persistently the shepherd seeks out and pursues his lost flock. It is his care and concern for it that drives him to keep looking until his sheep is found. The sheep is invaluable to him so he will do an all-out search and rescue. His pursuit of it is steadfast and relentless until it is found.
Jesus does the same for each one of us. There is never a time when He is not looking for a deeper connection with us. If you are an unbeliever, He’s seeking a relationship with you. If you are a believer, He wants more of you for Himself!
How grieved He must feel!
To take it further, do we concern ourselves the same with reaching lost souls for the Kingdom or even for missing worshippers from the fellowship? Are we also burdened with the same care and concern for our fellow man to know and thrive in Christ? Do we feel an emptiness when we realize our loved ones aren’t yet walking in truth?
So, of course, we found Olivia. She turned up on the second floor of the building playing with some toys. What relief I felt when I saw her!
God pursues us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He is the one steadfast in love and faithfulness.
For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. – Psalm 117:2
Diera Mendez
Diera Shaw-Mendez is a minister and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ, and works full-time for an educational nonprofit in Philadelphia. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She spends her “spare time” running an online invitation design shop on Etsy and write occasionally for her personal blog, With Style, By Grace. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to inspire women to invest in THE beauty that never fades!