Connected in The Word 9-10-25
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Luke 15:6
I rejoice over a lot of things! I find joy in some of the simplest things in life. It might be hard to SEE my joy sometimes as I am not a “jump up and down” kind of joy person. I’m more of a “stand in awe” kind of joy person. Although some will say they can hear my joy in the form of whistling up and down the hallways here at Immanuel. Last weekend I preached on Psalm 100 and talked about how joy and thanksgiving are not things we can mandate or manufacture. Our joy, whether it is the “jump up and down” kind or the “stand in awe” kind, is a response to Good News!
In Luke 15 Jesus tells 3 parables about people who rejoice because of some GREAT NEWS! Something that belonged to them and something they valued and loved was lost, but NOW IT WAS FOUND! These parables paint a picture of God’s GREAT JOY when one of His lost, valued, and loved children are found. God’s joy is not diminished by WHERE you were lost, HOW you got lost, or WHAT you were doing when you were lost. All that matters is that you are home, reconciled, forgiven, and safe.
Please don’t misconstrue God’s great joy over finding us in our sin as Him being unjust or not really caring about our sin. God does not just sweep our sin under the rug. God has great joy when a lost sinner is found because He KNOWS THE TRUTH! He knows that the sin of the world was placed on Jesus. He knows that justice was executed at the cross, and that victory over sin, death, and the devil was won through the empty tomb. When we, people God made and saved in and through Jesus, stop running from, resisting, and rejecting the Good News of Jesus – There is GREAT JOY IN HEAVEN!
Read past devotions or subscribe for email devotions using link below!