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Lost

              For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

          One of the feelings we can have when the going gets tough is feeling lost. We don’t know how to get to where we think we need to be. While we tend to think of the passage above as referring to those who are not saved, those who are saved can find themselves lost in other ways, including losing their lives. But today’s passage gives us a promise that even if we lose our lives, Jesus will come and save us. So, when the going gets tough, we may suffer, but we need not worry. Jesus will seek us and save us.

          This isn’t really news. Jesus taught that He would leave the ninety-nine to find the one, but again, we tend to associate that lost one with someone who has not yet been saved, but again, it could also refer a member of His flock, but my immediate response is that while it’s perfectly respectable to be directed by God, it’s embarrassing to need to be found.

          When I was very young, I decided to follow my brother and sister from our boat back to the campsite. Somehow, I took the wrong path, and when I realized I hadn’t come to the right part of the campground, I could neither find the path back to the boat nor the way to the area where our site was. I wandered for what seemed like a long time before my father came to find me, but it probably wasn’t. It was embarrassing that I got lost, but the feeling of being found wasn’t (at least in my memory) a greater embarrassment. I need to get over my grown up immaturity and rejoice in a God who will not only direct me so I don’t get lost, but also come find me if I do.

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