WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Cherished Possessions
READ:
When she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin” (v.9).
Jim and Jane experienced the special feeling of being reunited with a long-lost, cherished possession. Several years after their marriage in 1960, Jim lost his wedding band in the waters of Lake George, a family vacation spot. He thought it was gone forever, but in 2015 a vacationer noticed the glint of the shiny gold ring in the lake. After diligently searching for the owner, the woman was able to return the ring to Jim. Jane slipped her husband’s old ring on her finger and “hugged it like a long-lost love.” The two, now in their 70s, were ecstatic to have the ring back!
Luke 15 reminds us that there’s something special about being reunited with a cherished possession. Jesus told the parable of a woman who had saved her small wages and amassed ten silver coins (v.8). But then she lost one of the coins. So the woman lit an oil lamp and began to carefully sweep her “entire house,” hoping to hear the rattle of the coin. One more swish of the broom, and there it was! She snatched up the treasure, probably hugged it like a long-lost love, called her friends, and threw a party to celebrate the finding of the coin (v.9).
The point would have been clear to Jesus’ listeners: Sinners, who are thought to be lost, are extremely valuable to God and are worth celebrating when they’re found. As Jesus said, “There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” (v.10).
Like the couple’s lost ring and the woman’s lost coin, those who are far from God are highly valued by Him. Like our heavenly Father, may we be concerned for the lost. May we seek their recovery and restoration by introducing them to Jesus. And when they repent, may we rejoice with all of heaven! —Marvin Williams
MORE:
Read Luke 15:3-7. What does this story have in common with the woman who loses and finds her coin?
NEXT:
Do you share the same love, empathy, and care for sinners? Why or why not? What will you do to develop your concern for and witness to the lost this week?
We're All In This Together: Encourage and Build Up Each Other from worshiphousemedia on GodTube.
