Lost And Found!

WHEN BOB PROPOSED TO ME, he had just graduated from college. He had saved money from side jobs to buy me an engagement ring, which I loved. Then, years later, one of the prongs broke, and my original diamond was lost. I remember vividly how I cried over my loss. Life goes on, though, and I moved on—until one day when some stranger in a mall, seeing no ring on my finger, asked for my number. After that incident, I bought a cheap fake diamond ring. It wasn’t funny at the time. It’s so funny now, though!

Bob’s aunt was the one who was most concerned about my lost diamond. She had suffered real loss when she was unable to have children, and in a generous gesture to assure her of his love, her husband bought her a beautiful diamond ring. In her later years, as a widow with increasing dementia, she chose to give her ring to me, and she called a family search party because she couldn’t remember where she had put it. After hours of searching, one of the cousins found it hidden under her bed, amid piles of clutter. Everyone rejoiced!

Searching is worth the time and effort when what we’re seeking is valuable. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories about searching for things that were lost. In the first, although the shepherd owned a hundred sheep, each one had value to him. He left ninety-nine in open pasture to search for one who was lost. When he returned with it on his shoulders, everyone rejoiced. Another story describes a woman who had ten silver coins. When she lost one, she searched tirelessly until she found it. Then all her friends and neighbors were invited to rejoice with her. The story most of us recall is that of the Prodigal Son, who left home and squandered his inheritance. The father had two sons, yet when the one wayward son returned home, his father held a great celebration.

My husband is burdened for the “one.” When he learned there were small islands in the Philippines whose inhabitants never leave, he realized these people would not be saved if someone didn’t come to their islands to preach the gospel. So he added a boat and crew to his evangelistic ministry. Why does he care about a few lost people on hard-to-get-to islands? Because God cares about the “one” who is lost. This is clear from Jesus’ own explanation of His purpose: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Individuals are important to God. He sees the one employee in your office who needs someone to explain the gospel to her, the one neighbor, teacher in your child’s school, friend from high school, or quirky relative who needs to hear the Good News.

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to share with the “one.” I had known her in high school and college, but we eventually followed different paths, and she transferred after our freshman year. We hadn’t spoken in forty years when I learned through a dear mutual friend that she was dying of cancer and had asked to see me. But she lived hours away, and my schedule was full.

Yet if I didn’t go, who would tell her that God loves her? If she were the only person on earth, God still would have sacrificed His one and only Son for her. I decided to drive the four hours to her home, and my friend agreed to come with me. We shared the Good News with my old friend, and I had the joy of praying with and for her. She died shortly after our visit, but I look forward to spending eternity with her. It was so worth our efforts for the “one.”

There was a time when you and I were the lost ones, and there was great rejoicing in heaven when we were found. Thank the Lord now for God’s amazing grace that sought us when we were lost and saved us for all eternity!

REFLECTION

Perhaps a name or a face came to mind as you read this devotion. Pray for that person today, and ask the Lord to give you a heart to care about each “one” who is lost and desperately needs to be found. Prepare now to share the gospel when you have the opportunity. Memorize some key verses, and carry your favorite gospel tract in your purse. So much is at stake!