Scripture: Luke 15:3–7
As youths, life can get busy with school, work, relationships, and planning our future. Sometimes, without realizing it, we slowly drift away from God. We may still attend church, but our hearts are no longer as close to Him as before.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd who has 100 sheep, but one goes missing. The shepherd leaves the 99 and searches for the one that is lost until he finds it.
This shows us how much God cares for each one of us. Even when we feel far away from Him, He has not forgotten us.
Three Lessons:
1. God notices when we drift away (Luke 15:4)
Just as the shepherd noticed that one sheep was missing, God knows when we begin to drift away from Him. We can get so caught up in our daily lives that we slowly stop making time for God. That is why we need to check our hearts and make sure we are still putting Him first.
2. God pursues us with love (Luke 15:4–5)
The shepherd kept searching until he found the lost sheep. In the same way, God calls us back when we wander away from Him. Sometimes, we may feel guilty about our mistakes and think we need to fix ourselves before coming back to God. But we can come to Him just as we are, be honest about our struggles, and allow Him to work in our hearts.
3. Heaven rejoices when we return (Luke 15:7)
When the shepherd finds his lost sheep, he rejoices. Jesus explains that heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. God doesn’t want us to remain stuck in our mistakes. He wants us to turn back to Him and continue growing in our faith. We should also have that same heart toward others by encouraging them instead of judging them when they struggle.
We are in a season where many things compete for our attention. We have goals to reach, responsibilities to take care of, and decisions to make about our future. But in the middle of everything, we must remember to make time for God.
Don’t wait until you feel completely lost before you start seeking Him again. Make Him part of your everyday life, and if you ever find yourself drifting away, remember that you can always turn back to Him.
Let us not become so caught up in life that we forget the God who is always calling us closer to Him.