Choose Joyনমুনা

DAY 19 – THE SHEPHERD’S JOY

Reflection: The image of a shepherd and his sheep was familiar to Jesus’ first-century audience, perhaps less so to us. It’s a moving image of someone with superior strength and knowledge, placing everything on the line to save just one lost and vulnerable creature, and then throwing a party in celebration! Perhaps think of it this way ...

A father and his three sons are skiing when an avalanche sweeps through the slopes. Separated from his sons, the father makes his way to a safe location and is delighted to find two of his boys already safe. He hugs them, tells them to wait for help, and urgently returns to the slopes. In no way can he rest while one son is lost, despite his joy that two are found.

God’s pursuit of his lost children, his lost sheep, continues throughout history and will not end until all are found. Each time he finds one, they are joyfully carried home, there’s a celebration in heaven … but then the search continues.

As Christians, we’ve been that lost sheep on the shepherd’s shoulders. If you are not yet a Christian, there’s a loving God searching for you, and a joyful party waiting for the day you are found.

Choose joy: Thank God that he has never given up on you. Decide today to be ‘found’ by the Great Shepherd of history.