What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that went astray?

Matthew 18: 12

As He tells this story, Jesus is sharing the Father’s heart and His own. For in the greater sense of things Jesus was doing this very thing. He was on a dangerous journey that was going to bring back many of the lost among God’s sheep. His days upon earth were focused on sharing in actions and by His words of truth God’s redemptive desire and plan for creation. Then, that plan was fully launched as Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice that would pay all of our sin-debt, and this was followed by the glorious victory over death by which God demonstrated His sovereignty over every force and power that was present in this world and beyond it.

In all of this, Christ has demonstrated His authority and power to accomplish what God desires by way of rescue of the lost and restoration of these wandering sheep to the eternal fold of His kingdom. So, the answer to all of the needs that my soul has is Jesus, and the same is true for every other person on the earth. Each of us is born with a heart that is lost in its wandering and is in need of finding its way home. All people have a desire to know God; yet, most of us have no real idea about who that god is or where to find him. Thus, we travel the treacherous paths of this world until we recognize our Savior in the presence of the great soul-seeker, Christ.

We may be one short step away from the precipice or our minds might be shrouded in the shadows of a deep valley when the voice of redemption penetrates our hearing. That day may seem to be bright and full of promise; yet, the heart is needy and starved for love as we encounter the One whose love gives all to enter into relationship with us. There is no place that is too remote for Christ to discover His people, and there are no circumstances too desperate or despicable for Christ to enter in and to provide forgiveness and restoration. He brings home everyone who accepts Him, and He does this over and over again throughout all the hours of each day. In the entire universe Christ is the singular relentless seeker after the lost, as I have answered His call to me, I pray that my life would reflect this same unceasing desire to bring others home to God’s redemptive kingdom.