Holy Week: God Longs for the Lost

"Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.'" ~Luke 15:3-7
During Holy Week, I think it's important to reflect upon Jesus as our Savior. Without the events that took place over two thousand years ago that led to His crucifixion and resurrection, we would not have had our sins paid for in full in order to enjoy eternal life in heaven through Christ. I opened with the Parable of the Lost Sheep because I think in today's society, it is easy for people, especially unbelievers, to feel unimportant to God. If trials seem to be a big part of your life as an unbeliever, you might feel as if God has forgotten about you or that He is trying to torment you for some unknown reason. The truth is, He may just be waiting for your acknowledgement of Him because as the parable states, there is much rejoicing in heaven for the one sinner who repents. God longs for the lost to find their way back to Him. There is proof in this when you open up to 2 Peter 3:9, which says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." The problem is, only those who know they are lost will ever figure out that they need a Savior.
Let me paint a picture for you. For those who are runners, you should be able to follow this analogy fairly easily. For those of you who aren't runners, bear with me and I also have a second analogy to further expand your thinking on the matter. In the sport of cross country, courses are marked with painted arrows on the ground, on trees, or with cones. When you're part of the visiting team, you walk the course before you run it in order to imprint it on your mind. One might run into trouble, though, if he or she wasn't paying attention during the course walk, or if there happen to be some faded markers from previous courses. By following these trails that are no longer utilized, one can become lost and stray off course. The problem is that it is hard to know you're lost in the woods when all of the trees look the same, and when you're convinced you're on the right path. You might have fans telling you to head back in the other direction because you've strayed, but if you're convinced they're wrong and you're right, you may not get back on track in time. Instead, you might end up at a Wendy's billboard on the edge of a highway and then you realize you were wrong all along. Things might have ended differently if you had listened to the fans, or if it was your coach who happened to tell you to turn back because the coach always wants what is best for you. This is similar to when you stray away in life. The fans, or your friends and family, might be telling you that you're heading in the wrong direction. Problem is, you don't always want to listen to them because you don't think that they know what is best for you. Only if the coach, or Jesus, points you back to the right path will you truly believe that you've strayed. But sometimes not everybody listens to Jesus because they don't feel they need help. Let's move on to my second analogy.
Technology seems to rule the world these days. The claim is that all of the devices make life easier for us, but I think there are some who begin to rely too heavily on technology, and there can be some severe consequences. It seems these days that a device that nobody can leave home without if they're going on a long trip is a GPS. Many people like to punch in the address on this device and let it guide them to they're destination. I much prefer maps because I prefer to do my own analysis of the route and know what other roads I'll encounter. Maps have been around forever and are always up to date and relevant for the times. A GPS relies on satellites and has the habit of not knowing what street you're looking for, so it finds something it deems "close." In a sense, the road maps and travel atlases are much like the Bible. It's an ancient text that provides detailed background on Jesus, our Savior, yet some don't feel like taking the time to study it because it's time consuming or confusing, like a map. Many more choose the GPS route for it's simplicity, but don't recognize that it doesn't always bring them to the correct destination, causing them to get lost. This is how the Prince of Darkness functions. He leads us astray by promising an easy route through life, but the destination is not what we hoped. Much like the GPS, we could be heading for a cliff and not even know it.
What needs to happen is to have that little beacon go off in your brain to signal, "Oh, crap I'm lost and need help!" It's only when we finally realize that we've gone the wrong way that we can receive help. If we constantly believe that we are not going the wrong way and don't need help, help can never be received. Those who have hardened their hearts to Jesus can never be rescued by the one and only Savior because they refuse to admit they need saving. It is true that we are saved by God's grace and God's grace only, but we have the free will to accept Him into our hearts or to banish Him from our hearts.
During this Holy Week, I urge you to really consider coming to Jesus and admitting you need saving if you haven't already. He is the only way into heaven, and there will be much rejoicing in heaven if you choose to lay down your burdens at His feet and repent of the sins you've committed. Be like the author of "Amazing Grace," who, "once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind, but now I see." Coming to Jesus is a real eye-opening experience, but it's also not an easy route. Becoming a Christian isn't a quick fix like the prosperity Gospel says. Instead, we are to share in His sufferings, just like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:5 ~ "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." We are to suffer for the name of Christ, but we are to remember that all glory, joy, and comfort also comes from Him. There is no better week to reflect on Christ's suffering than this, for on Good Friday, He was beaten and put to death for our sins. This was the greatest penalty that was handed out, but it was so the greatest gift could be given to us on Easter Sunday, through Christ's resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit. All the lost must do is sincerely accept Jesus into their hearts, repent of their sins, and there will be great rejoicing in heaven for the return of one of God's lost sheep to share in the eternal kingdom.