Valued, Part 2

A week ago I wrote a devotional entitled “Valued, Part 1.” It focused on how valuable we are to God.

Today’s devotional, though three chapters later in Luke’s Gospel, continues that theme. The 15th chapter of Luke contains three parables Jesus shared with us, each referring to how valuable we are to God, and how much He desires to have a relationship with us.

The first parable is the Parable of the Lost Sheep,

which reminds us that regardless of how many people are following Jesus, He still cares about the one who is not following Him. The parable tells us that Jesus will actually leave the ninety-nine sheep (or followers) to pursue the one who is lost, and when He finds him/her, He calls everyone to rejoice with Him, for the lost has been found.

The second parable is the Parable of the Lost Coin.

In it, Jesus explains that a woman had ten silver coins and lost one of them. She searched diligently to find the lost coin, and upon finding it, she threw a party, inviting her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her. Jesus tells us in verse 10,

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

- Luke 15:10

Finally, the third parable is the one most familiar to us, the Parable of the Lost (Prodigal) Son.

In this parable, a man’s youngest son is arrogant, prideful and selfish, so much so that he asks for his inheritance early so he can separate from the family and enjoy a life of fun and folly. However, it does not take long for the money to run out, and the youngest son finds himself working for a farmer feeding pigs. When he finally comes to his senses, he decides to put his “tail between his legs” and go home to beg for mercy from his father.

However, when he arrives at home, he does not need to beg, for his father runs to him, welcomes him home, kills the fatted calf, and throws a party on his behalf.

Unfortunately, the elder son is insulted by this. He can’t believe his father would do such a thing for this immature, selfish brother, when he, who has been faithful to his father, has never experienced anything close to this.

The father reminds him that he is valued for having always been with him, but a celebration was necessary for the son who was once lost, but has now been found.

Three times Jesus makes it clear that His passion is for the lost. We, who have faithfully walked with Him, we matter deeply to Him, but He is also very clear that there is a party awaiting, both in heaven and here on earth, for one lost soul who has now been found.

Sometimes I think we lose sight of how passionate Jesus is about the lost. And, it is not difficult to figure out that if Jesus is  passionate about the lost, then we, too, as His followers, should share His passion.

Every person, regardless of gender, socio-economic status, or color of skin, matters deeply to God. May we view each person God places in our path the same way Jesus views them. May we recognize how valuable they are to God and do our part to help them move from lost to found. Then, let the celebration begin!!!!

Pastor Ken

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