Only One!

Only One!

Matthew 18:12 KJV

[12] How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

As we saw yesterday, Jesus used parables to teach His disciples about the principles and practices of His Kingdom. These parables give us insights into the heart of God, and His dealings with man, His creation. The first thing that comes to mind as I read the verse above is that God is described as a shepherd in charge of a specific number of sheep. He knows all the sheep by name, temperament, size or whatever classification you want to lay down, because that is the only way He would know when even one is missing. In another lesson for the disciples, He called Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Just picture the attention to detail, the careful consideration of each sheep, the personal touch for each sheep that God has. It is this careful thought that makes it clear that nothing can happen to me without His permission. 

One sheep may walk away by choice or by distraction, but we see here that even when that happens, the love of the shepherd does not wane or expire. He would not let go; he will not give up. He will not let the sheep end up in the ditch somewhere or get eaten up by lions or other predators. He knows me by my name, and He knows where I am at all times. Even when I pursue my own selfish interests, and want to have my own way, He will not give up on me. He will not hand me over to the devil to be punished: that is not how His love works. Sometimes, the consequence of my action may be hard to swallow, but I must not mistake consequence for abandonment. Pain does not always mean the absence of God; it could just be God's dealings with me, as He prepares me for even greater exploits, or just to be able to provide support and succour to another person who may also walk the path I have walked. 

With God, no experience is wasted. He cannot and does not and will not abandon His own, unless the person decides to reject God's love to the end. There is no past so dirty that the love of God cannot redeem. There is no present so terrible that the love of God cannot resolve. In and by Him, the future is secure, because only IN Him is there a guarantee of eternal security. He makes sure the other sheep, all ninety nine of them, are safe, and goes in search of the one that is lost. He does not mind the effort, time and labour that are expended; searching through the mountains is itself dangerous, yet this good shepherd would not give up easily. I cannot be easily forgotten; I am engraved on the palm of His hand, and nothing can snatch me out of His hand. I must ensure I remain in place, IN Him, and not seek any excitement outside of Him. The world will devour, and the devil's mission is to steal, kill and destroy. He is looking for you; surrender your life to Him and watch Him do mighty things with your life. God's time of favour is here.