Day 254: What Makes Heaven Happy?
Read: Luke 15:1 - 32
What are the greatest chapters in the Bible? If I compiled a top five
list, I think Psalm 23 would be near the top, the Creation story from
Genesis where everything began. I believe I would likewise include
the Beatitudes from Matthew, Paul's great writing on Love from 1
Corinthians 13, and as I am discovering by deliberately plumbing the
true depths of the Parables - I would now include Luke 15. Three
parables about things that were lost and then found - a lost sheep and
the shepherd who goes to rescue it. The second a lost coin and the woman
who searched frantically for it. The third is called the Prodigal Son
and is the most familiar of the three. These make me happy.
The
theme connecting these three parables is when that which is lost is
found, there is great celebration, great rejoicing. I can barely picture
this on earth because in my experience because it is such a rare story in the news unless someone's life is in the very deepest of danger as in the recent tornado in Moore Oklahoma. The greatest of the images presented were of those who doing the digging and finding those people and animals too who were lost under the very deepest of rubble and ruin. The story of a woman finding her dog three miles away just made me cry buckets. These are the most inspiring stories of man and the Shepherd's message of 'no one left behind'.
These stories make me happy beyond measure and it is my guess that they made you feel much the same way. However, if these are the stories of what makes us happy, then let me ask you to consider this: What is it that makes heaven
happy? In all three of these parables, Jesus reports there is great
rejoicing in heaven when one person turns from their sins and puts their
faith in Jesus Christ. We may be impressed when we dedicate a building
to a common cause, but I don’t believe heaven celebrates too much when a
building is built. He did say, not once, not twice, but three times
there is great joy in heaven when one person turns to God and receives
His forgiveness.
Let’s examine these parables and discover why
heaven gets so happy when a person turns to Christ. Consider what Jesus
said about The Lost Lamb: God so loves each of us as individuals that He
will go to all ends of the earth to find you! So, who are those lost sheep in your life? A child? A brother or sister? A parent? A long
lost friend? A neighbor? Yourself? Who has God put on your heart? And
what will you do about it? The saddest experience of life is to be lost
or feel like you should be or would be that much better if you got lost
and stayed that way. But the good news is: Jesus searches for us in order to save us. He loves His job, it makes Him happy and heaven rejoices.
'And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his
neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
which was lost!’ (6)
'When she has found it, she calls together
her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found
the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (9,10)
'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was
dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” (32)
Let Us Pray: Thank you, heavenly Father, for helping me to recognize my
need for you this day. Grow in me a heart of love that reaches others
with the absolute truth of your great Love for them. Keep me sensitive
to your leading when the time is right and lost and broken hearts
are made ready to be found. Let what I say, the actions I take make
heaven smile a little bit wider, make all those angels sing a wee bit
louder.
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: Luke 15:1 - 32
What are the greatest chapters in the Bible? If I compiled a top five list, I think Psalm 23 would be near the top, the Creation story from Genesis where everything began. I believe I would likewise include the Beatitudes from Matthew, Paul's great writing on Love from 1 Corinthians 13, and as I am discovering by deliberately plumbing the true depths of the Parables - I would now include Luke 15. Three parables about things that were lost and then found - a lost sheep and the shepherd who goes to rescue it. The second a lost coin and the woman who searched frantically for it. The third is called the Prodigal Son and is the most familiar of the three. These make me happy.
The theme connecting these three parables is when that which is lost is found, there is great celebration, great rejoicing. I can barely picture this on earth because in my experience because it is such a rare story in the news unless someone's life is in the very deepest of danger as in the recent tornado in Moore Oklahoma. The greatest of the images presented were of those who doing the digging and finding those people and animals too who were lost under the very deepest of rubble and ruin. The story of a woman finding her dog three miles away just made me cry buckets. These are the most inspiring stories of man and the Shepherd's message of 'no one left behind'.
These stories make me happy beyond measure and it is my guess that they made you feel much the same way. However, if these are the stories of what makes us happy, then let me ask you to consider this: What is it that makes heaven happy? In all three of these parables, Jesus reports there is great rejoicing in heaven when one person turns from their sins and puts their faith in Jesus Christ. We may be impressed when we dedicate a building to a common cause, but I don’t believe heaven celebrates too much when a building is built. He did say, not once, not twice, but three times there is great joy in heaven when one person turns to God and receives His forgiveness.
Let’s examine these parables and discover why heaven gets so happy when a person turns to Christ. Consider what Jesus said about The Lost Lamb: God so loves each of us as individuals that He will go to all ends of the earth to find you! So, who are those lost sheep in your life? A child? A brother or sister? A parent? A long lost friend? A neighbor? Yourself? Who has God put on your heart? And what will you do about it? The saddest experience of life is to be lost or feel like you should be or would be that much better if you got lost and stayed that way. But the good news is: Jesus searches for us in order to save us. He loves His job, it makes Him happy and heaven rejoices.
'And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ (6)
'When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (9,10)
'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” (32)
Let Us Pray: Thank you, heavenly Father, for helping me to recognize my need for you this day. Grow in me a heart of love that reaches others with the absolute truth of your great Love for them. Keep me sensitive to your leading when the time is right and lost and broken hearts are made ready to be found. Let what I say, the actions I take make heaven smile a little bit wider, make all those angels sing a wee bit louder.
http://www.youtube.com/
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