Listen to this devotion
Lost and Found
In the Word
“And when she had found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15: 9–10).
Of the Word
Can’t find your car keys? Glasses? Checkbook? How irritating! You look everywhere, checking every nook and cranny, even searching the same places over and over. Finally, the lost is found. Your level of joy is directly proportionate to the time spent searching.
When Jesus told the parable about the lost coin, He knew His listeners could relate. They understood as Jesus explained that the joy in heaven when a sinner repents is greater than finding a lost coin. “A sinner … like me?” we think. “The angels of God rejoice over ordinary me?”
It is hard to grasp the immensity of this truth. We can do nothing to earn the value He places on us. God, in His grace, loved us while we were still lost sinners. Jesus’ death and resurrection changed us into precious treasures.
Walking with my Lord
Lord, help me live each moment of today as a precious, restored treasure and share this message of joy with those around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mustard Seed: From Quiet Times to Noisy Love. Jan Struck, author. 18/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
