“Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?’” (Luke 15:3-4 NIV)
When I take the dogs walking through the woods, Earl, my cat often joins us. He walks along very nicely for awhile but then scampers off into the underbrush and begins meowing, beckoning the dogs to leave the trail and follow him. The older dogs pay him no mind, but Simon, my young dachshund, often can’t resist the opportunity to chase Earl, who steadily leads him deeper into the forest.
When this happens, I call repeatedly for Simon to return back to me and to safety, as being so short, he often gets caught up in tangled vines, fallen trees and brambles and can easily become lost.
Likewise, I too have often fallen prey to the tempting calls of the Earls of this world, to wander from the path of righteousness into the forest of sin. A forest that is fraught with dangers often masked as delightful adventures. Perhaps you too have trodden this path from time to time or are even walking it now.
Matthew 26:69-75 outlines the fall of Peter when he denied knowing Jesus, as they led Him away to be crucified.
Jonah 1:3a tells us this about Jonah when God called him to go and preach to the Ninevites: But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
Samson, as told in Judges 16:17-19, foolishly followed Delilah’s wedeling to tell her the secret of his God given strength and fell to his doom.
These are just three examples of the many in Scripture that depict for us the actions of those who have followed the call from the path of righteousness into the forest of sin. Each one of these people loved God. They were serving Him, but for one reason or another they failed to resist the call to honour and obey him, just as we do too, from time to time. We are human beings and thus we are not perfect. We can and do make bad choices throughout our lifetime which cause us to wander from the One we love.
The wonderful thing though, is that God did not give up on any of these people and He never gives up on us either. He continues to call and to keep calling to us when we have wandered away, to come back to Himself, to the path of righteousness, where we may find forgiveness and healing through His grace, mercy and love.
May each of us this day, be walking safely with God or be willing to turn around and head back into the loving arms of the One who is calling to us.
Prayer: Father God, thank You that You never give up on us. Praise Your Holy name forever. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada