I was reading this scripture yesterday in the car: Matthew 18:12-14. "If a man have a hundred sheep and one of the is gone astray, doesn't he leave the ninety nine and go to the mountains to look for the one? And if he finds it, he rejoices more with that sheep than of the the ninety nine. Even so it is not the will of your Father in heaven that even one should perish."
Right to the point of the thought that came to my mind: Pastors can be satisfied with a group of followers and not care about those who are lost. It actually pumps a pastor and makes him feel good and content if he has a group that stands by him. It makes him feel important in the kingdom of God. Meanwhile one soul is lost but so easily forgotten.
Likewise, we lay members can be so satisfied to be with a group of people that accepts us. As humans we feel so good in group that pats us on the back. Sometimes people will do anything to please others just to stay a part of that group. We definitely need to be God pleasers and not people pleasers. Nor do we need to be glory seekers.
Instead we need to seek God's leading for the person out there by themselves that need God. They need our attention, our witness.
Are you willing to lay aside your comfortable position as pastor to seek out one lost person and humble yourself so that they might be saved? Are we willing to leave a group of people that makes us feel good to spend some time with someone who needs us and needs God?
Very good thoughts Mom. We made it to Sun.Sch. this morning and the lesson was really good. One point brought out was how God may ask us to go to someone, out of love, and tell them that what they are doing is ungodly. If we ignore a situation that God wants us to speak out on, we will have to face Him at judgement face to face. we cannot always turn the other cheek & look away or overlook wrong situations. We've got to go in love to that person with the guidence of God and prayerfully. Sometiems you just do what God asks of you, give 100%, and if you still don't get a good result you've still done what God asked you too. Even if other ppl don't agree with you. Keeping Christ first is what matters most in the long run. The Bible tells us that if we can't except disipline and correction, we are a basterd. Pretty strong word, huh? We were reading from Acts 15:1-9. James knew that if any decision was going to have authority, it had to line up with scriptural evidence. We need to speak the truth in love. We need to obey God at any cost, even if it means leaving a group of good ppl.
ReplyDeleteWow, Julie. That lesson was right on target. Thank you for sharing. It reminds me of Ezekial 3:18-21. These are the verses that say if we fail to warn someone of their wrong, even someone what was a righteous person, he will die in his sins, the good that he had done will not be remembered and his(the one we should have warned) blood will be upon our hands. But if it helps him not to sin he will live and we have delivered our soul also.
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