They're The Wanderers

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 18:12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

OBSERVATION: Our tendency in the church is to focus all our time and energy on the 99 that are in the fold. That is not a bad thing--we are a family, we are friends and that is how God wants it to be. The problem is that, too often, there is no time or energy left to go looking for the lost sheep--the ones who wander away or are too hurt or scared to come back to the fold. They may have even fought with other sheep and feel distanced from them.

Probably 1/3 to 1/2 of all the people who do not attend church did at one time but left just for these reasons. Those of us still in the church should care about them and do all we can to invite and love them back. We have to be willing to take some time from our friends and pursue those who are lost.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: God has given me a few people who are "lost sheep" that I need to stay in contact with, pray for, and show them that they are loved and try to welcome them back. As much as a pastor I am called to the 99, I still have a responsibility to the single lost sheep that God loves so much.

PRAYER: Lord, may we all learn to have your heart for lost sheep. Teach all of us how not to get so caught up with one another that we forget those hurting and wounded sheep that need to know that they are still loved and welcome to return.