Looking for Sheep

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4

This morning as I continue my study of Determined by Heather M Dixon, I read a very familiar verse where Jesus was responding to accusations from the Pharisees of why He hung out and dined with sinners.  The parable told by Jesus painted a picture of a shepherd watching over his flock of sheep.  When one strayed off and was discovered missing, the shepherd sought the lost sheep until he found the it.  Once again, Jesus exemplified what God expects from all His children.  He expects each of us to lay our own agenda aside and pursue those who have strayed or are lost.

I began considering what it looks like to ‘leave the 99.’ What is it that I could do today, or you could do today to emulate Christ?  I believe leaving the 99 means to do something different that benefits another person.  I believe to leave the 99 means to get out of our comfort zone and pursue the needs of others.  It means opening my ears to those around me instead of tuning things out.  It means to actively engage with someone instead of my normal ‘99’.  What would it look like for you and for me to ‘go after the one sheep?’  Could it be rolling down our window at a stop sign and inviting a homeless person to our church?  Could it be sharing a $10 bill with someone needs it instead of spending it on ourselves?  Could it be striking up a conversation in line with someone who seems lonely? Or setting aside our priorities for today to help someone else complete their priorities?

Every single day God sees the lost sheep who needs a Savior’s touch.  Every single place our feet take us will encounter someone who offers us opportunities to emulate Jesus.  But Christ doesn’t ask us to do this on our own, rather He gives us the secret to having an attitude of pursuit.  ‘What prompts us to actively pursue those who don’t fit the popular mold of acceptability?  What inspires the choice to engage the misfits, untouchables, unwanted and unaccepted?  It isn’t a passionately persuaded opinion or a fleeting feeling that washes over us and then disappears.  It’s a living Lord, who both comforts and convicts.  When we come face-to-face with our need for His mercy, we’ll be hungry for the rest of the world to receive it too.’ Determined, p. 56.

We cannot isolate ourselves with our own ‘99’ and fulfill the will of the Father.  The fruit of His hands will grow when we offer our hands and heart to the one sheep who is wandering around all alone.