Sunday, February 15, 2009

Ten Pieces of Silver

Luke 15:8-10: “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NKJV).

Have you ever spent hours putting a puzzle together only to find out in the end that you are missing a piece? Even though you have successfully placed all of the other pieces, you feel dissatisfied with your work because it is not entirely complete. You search under the table, under the rug, in the trash, and between the couch cushions. If your family is like mine, you might even interrogate your siblings and/or spouse to make sure they haven't stowed away the last piece to place it themselves.

When you find that missing piece and place it in the puzzle, the accomplishment you feel is great. The missing piece was no more important that any of the other pieces (you would not want any of the pieces to be missing!), but its absence required you to expend more effort in its correct placement than the other puzzle pieces.

What if you never find that missing piece? You might still be pleased with all of the pieces that you were able to place correctly, but it is just not the same as if the puzzle had been complete.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (NKJV)

Jesus died to save all men, all humans: good and bad, short and tall, sinner and saint, Catholic and Calvinist... you get the idea. He even died to save those He knew would never accept His salvation!

You are so valuable to God! Just because you are one of billions of people to walk this earth does not make you any less important to God.

Jesus describes His pursuit of us through three parables in Luke chapter 15: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son. I will be talking more in-depth about these three parables in my next blog post.

Today, be encouraged that God is seeking you out. What will be your response? Will you allow yourself to be found by God?

2 comments:

  1. Good post. I know it's not the point, but I normally would just cut out the puzzle shape I need and color it in with crayons. :-) JK I am glad Jesus doesn't see us as replaceable.

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