Lost Sheep, Lost Coin | Northstar Church

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ — Luke 15:8-9.

Sometimes I wonder if the Jesus’ teachings on the gospel could be summed up in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin found in Luke 15. To refresh your memory, there was a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. One went missing. He left the ninety-nine behind to go and find the missing one. Upon finding it, he picked it up, carried it back to town, and celebrated with his friends. Likewise, there was a woman who had ten silver coins. When she realized that one was missing, she did all that she could to find it. And when she did, she called her friends and neighbors over for a celebratory feast because what was once lost was found.

Both parables illustrate the fundamental truth that throughout my life, God has pursued me relentlessly. So great is God’s desire for restored relationship with you that the One, true God, the King of kings and Lord of lords came down off His throne to die an unjustified and sacrificial death. We don’t deserve it, nor can we fathom His grace and love, but as both parables clearly indicate, God willingly comes down to meet and help us wherever we are.

I hope the reality of that truth has sunk in fully. Do you fully grasp the depth of God’s love that He is pursuing us? You were the helpless and lost sheep. You were the coin that was so valuable God worked and searched until he had it back in His possession. You are of such value to the only One who truly decides the the worth of things that He pursued you. Don’t let that truth pass you by today. Instead, make it the foundation for every decision, thought, and action in your life.

Pursuing goes both ways. We need to pursue God in the same way he pursues us. No part of our lives should be off-limits to God. In Psalm 27:8 David says, “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” God is calling out to you, saying, “come talk to me.” Psalm 34:10 promises us that “those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” God will always respond to your pursuit because He wants a relationship with you. He’s already promised that to you. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Discussion Questions:

If we are going to pursue God, it’s an act of trusting and following. Agree or disagree and why?
What can we do this week to better pursue God?