| Have you ever lost something of value and not known where to find it?? Even something seemingly insignificant can cause stress and even strife as you search for it, realizing that you have no idea where it is!! Things I Have Lost!!  |
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- Have you ever lost your keys? I have!
- Have you ever lost an important check in the garbage? I have!
- Have you ever lost your child? I have!
- Have you ever lost your car in Walmart's parking lot?! LOL!! I have!
- Were you lost and God saved you???? I was!!
- Are you lost and in need of a Savior????
Jesus shared several stories in Luke 15 of lost things. I hadn't realized until today that all three of these stories were found in the same chapter.
Take a look at this chapter and think of things you have lost. Things we lose are very important to God. Have you ever lost something and prayed that God would direct you to its location and He did?! I have had that happen and it showed me how much God cared for the small things in my life.
Do you have a lost child who is in the 'Far Country'??
Once I took care of a sheep for a friend. It got loose and it had no idea how to get back!! Trying to find it was one interesting experience!! God uses sheep in the bible to depict people. The first story in this chapter is about a sheep that was lost but then found.
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." ~Luke 15:7~
Then there was another story about a woman who had ten pieces of silver and lost one. She was so excited when she found it that she called all her friends and asked them to rejoice with her!!
"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." ~Luke 15:10~
The last story is the well-known story of the Prodigal Son. I am sure you know the story well.
No matter how well we parent, how well we teach our children, each child has a free will and must chose whom he will serve. This is often not the thought that is taught in many circles. The parent whose child follows the world is thought to have failed in their parenting or marriage. This may be the case, and with the best of parents, no marriage or family is perfect because we are fallen creatures and depend on Jesus to abide and live through us.
Some children leave for the 'Far Country" as the Prodigal Son left. The prodigal son or daughter has a free will and I cannot emphasize that enough. God is the most perfect parent, yet, his children do not all follow Him. Israel is an example of this.
We read about the Prodigal son, and the prodigal son's brother, and father.
Where is the mother??
Just a thought!!
There is nothing in the passage to say where she is or what happened to her. We can only think of possibilities...but cannot say for sure. If you look carefully through the passage, you will not find the mother. She is not mentioned.
There is no mother. Why??
There are a lot of reasons why she might not have been mentioned.
She might have died. If she died, WHY did she die??
Did you know that when a child goes spiritually astray and seeks after the world instead of godliness and the God of his parents, it usually grieves the mother more than the father?? A mother might spiral down into deep depression, forgetting her other children in her grief.
There is hope through Jesus Christ for those of you mothers facing this crisis in your life. Look to Jesus for your sustenance and comfort. Determine to live without bitterness. Seek the Lord daily until you find the peace that passes all understanding and can honestly say that you are walking in victory.
You have the rest of your life. You have been placed on this earth to worship and serve the Lord and that is not dependent on your children's choices. We don't understand the choices children like this make but we cannot allow circumstances and emotions to rule our life.
Totally surrender your children to the Lord again and again, pray for your prodigal and don't forget to invest in your other children's lives.
I have lost keys, phones under piles of clean clothes, pens, and many other things. Losing your car in the Wal-mart parking lot is one thing but loosing your child in a crowd is much more serious. Eternally loosing your child to a burning hell because they chose the world instead of Jesus is devastating to a mother.
What have you lost?
In Christ Alone,
~Judith~
Then there was another story about a woman who had ten pieces of silver and lost one. She was so excited when she found it that she called all her friends and asked them to rejoice with her!!
"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." ~Luke 15:10~
The last story is the well-known story of the Prodigal Son. I am sure you know the story well.
No matter how well we parent, how well we teach our children, each child has a free will and must chose whom he will serve. This is often not the thought that is taught in many circles. The parent whose child follows the world is thought to have failed in their parenting or marriage. This may be the case, and with the best of parents, no marriage or family is perfect because we are fallen creatures and depend on Jesus to abide and live through us.
Some children leave for the 'Far Country" as the Prodigal Son left. The prodigal son or daughter has a free will and I cannot emphasize that enough. God is the most perfect parent, yet, his children do not all follow Him. Israel is an example of this.
We read about the Prodigal son, and the prodigal son's brother, and father.
Where is the mother??
Just a thought!!
There is nothing in the passage to say where she is or what happened to her. We can only think of possibilities...but cannot say for sure. If you look carefully through the passage, you will not find the mother. She is not mentioned.
There is no mother. Why??
There are a lot of reasons why she might not have been mentioned.
She might have died. If she died, WHY did she die??
Did you know that when a child goes spiritually astray and seeks after the world instead of godliness and the God of his parents, it usually grieves the mother more than the father?? A mother might spiral down into deep depression, forgetting her other children in her grief.
There is hope through Jesus Christ for those of you mothers facing this crisis in your life. Look to Jesus for your sustenance and comfort. Determine to live without bitterness. Seek the Lord daily until you find the peace that passes all understanding and can honestly say that you are walking in victory.
You have the rest of your life. You have been placed on this earth to worship and serve the Lord and that is not dependent on your children's choices. We don't understand the choices children like this make but we cannot allow circumstances and emotions to rule our life.
Totally surrender your children to the Lord again and again, pray for your prodigal and don't forget to invest in your other children's lives.
I have lost keys, phones under piles of clean clothes, pens, and many other things. Losing your car in the Wal-mart parking lot is one thing but loosing your child in a crowd is much more serious. Eternally loosing your child to a burning hell because they chose the world instead of Jesus is devastating to a mother.
What have you lost?
In Christ Alone,
~Judith~
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GREAT post Judith...
ReplyDeleteThank you Renee...my pastor shared some of those thoughts. Nice hearing from you. I have enjoyed your blog.
DeleteOh yes, I have lots my keys a few times and lost my phone and even my book, lol!
ReplyDeleteI love how you give a gentle reminder to the mother not to forget her other children while she's worrying and praying about the one wayward child. Very good advice!
Thank you for asking about my mom, that's very sweet of you. Right now she is staying with my sister for a few weeks.
She's having a good time and I know she is in good hands. Plus, it's good for me to have a break from some of that responsibility of her care.
Glad your mother is doing fine. You are blessed to have her.
ReplyDeleteI lost my way major big time today!! Missed my exit and got so mixed up that it would make a great post (especially if you wrote it up, lol) and made my daughter wait for half an hour until I found my way back to where I had left her!! Going into a city from the country can cause me to loose more than just key, glasses, or phones!!