I have always been drawn to the story Jesus told about a lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7). The message of this parable is simple: God loves all of His lost children and wants them to come home.
Stop for a moment and imagine the emotions the shepherd experienced when he noticed one of his sheep was missing. He knows them all by name. He has tenderly cared for them since the day of their birth. Not a moment is lost—the shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep.
That sheep represents men and women all around us who know they’re lost but don’t know how to find their way home to the Good Shepherd. Too many sit in judgment, blaming these wayward sheep for their lost condition. But if we would follow the example of the Good Shepherd, we would earnestly seek for every lost sheep and tenderly carry each one back to the fold of God.
May the following words never be a description of our conduct as under-shepherds: “Angels pity these wandering ones. Angels weep, while human eyes are dry and closed to pity”1. By the grace of God and the enabling presence of His Holy Spirit, may we always reflect the compassionate heart of the Good Shepherd, seeking His lost sheep.
1 Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p.191.