Post

Once Upon a Time … In Real Life. Parables of Jesus The Kingdom Come in You (Luke 15) ------------------------------------------------------- The context of the parable of the lost sheep, coin, and son is that the Pharisees and scribes were upset that Jesus not only accepted, but also welcomed and ate with “sinners”. Paul did not presume upon God. Instead, he saw himself as the servant or slave of God. We are not equal to God. It is God who initiates calling us His child and His friend. God is at work in the life of each believer to transform us into who He made us to be. We ALL matter to Him. Our role is to love and serve the Lord. God is the seeker, and we are the sought or the others. The Seeker cannot abide that the lost are lost, and he rejoices when he finds and rescues someone who was lost. God is not against us, He is FOR us. God is about restoration… building His family and His kingdom. Are we self-righteous and full of ourselves? Do we under-estimate ourselves and are filled with loathing? Or do we see things as they really are? Our attitude toward our sin should always be the same. We should weep and mourn, and turn away from it, but then, we should put the shame and guilt behind us and rejoice in God’s forgiveness and love. We should look clearly at where we started from so that we can clearly see what we are becoming. Application points: -- View ourselves humbly, but not without worth -- Consider that God seeks us, even though we’ve wandered off. He wants us to have a repentant heart. Repentance is confessing our sin and turning away from it and toward God. -- God’s goal is redemption and restoration. We need to welcome who God welcomes.