Highlighted New Testament Bible

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 13, The Lost Sheep: Rejoicing over the one.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 4.  

The Son of Man came.  He came to reclaim what was lost.  He came to save.  He came to take back the little ones.  For they are the lost sheep, scattered by the evil one.  They are the ones without a shepherd.  They are the loved ones of the Father.  Even though he had many, he came to reclaim the one.  Even though he loved all, he came to find the lost.  Even though he is all powerful, he has mercy.  Even though he passed judgment, he is forgiving.  Even though he issues wrath on those who trespass, he is compassionate.  For Christ came to carry out his father's will, to bring back the lost, to save the little ones.

There will be rejoicing.  There will be happiness.  There will be sorrow.  There will be sadness for each little one that is lost.  But there will be rejoicing at each little one that is saved.  The choice was given to each.  The decision is ours to make.  But the influence leads us in a direction that we do not know.  The turn of the head, the blink of the eye, the sound of the music can lead astray, away from the flock and into lost territory.  But Christ came to save.  Christ came to restore.  Christ came to take back what was lost.  He came to pay the price that we may have life.  And there will be rejoicing for each that returns to the flock, for each that returns to the Father"And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray." 

And if he happens to find it, the lost one, he rejoices.  Christ tells this parable to demonstrate to his disciples and to us the depth of love that the Father has for his little ones.  For they were created from his heart.  They were created from his love.  They were brought forth from nothing into life that his love and his passion may be shared.  We have a God and Father that loves us deeply.  We have a God and Father that protects us totally.  We have a God and Father that provides for us completely.  The question is will we let him.  Will we seek him?  Will we open our hearts to him?  Will we allow our minds to comprehend that which is incomprehensible to the mind but lies hidden in the heart?

We have all the documentation in history.  We have the facts laid before us.  We have the institutions that help us to understand.  We have the grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to provide for us, if we believe, if we seek, if we desire to know, if we love, if.  And it is that if that deters us.  It is that if that delays us.  It is that if that causes us to pause.  It is that if that turns us away.  For that if, is what is used against us in the world. 

Can we not believe?  Can we not see with the eye that was given us, the key to the soul?  Can we not understand that which is within us, within our nature, within our being, within our soul?  If we are told otherwise, we can not.  If we are fed lies, we can not.  If we are deceived, we will not believe.  For deception is the tool of evil.  Deception is the blindfold that allows us to continue to sleep, to turn away, to follow the path of destruction.  But Christ came to save.  Christ came to take back.  Christ came to give new life.  Will you accept it?  Will you believe in it?  Will you be open to it?  Or will you be deceived?  Come!  Follow the path before you.  Seek the truth that is within you that you will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Believe and you will see.  For he told us how to find the truth that is within us.  He gave us a path to follow.  Will you follow it?  Will you seek to know it?  Will you find you?  Christ awaits.  The Holy Spirit beckons.  The Father will rejoice at your coming.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.