FOR ONE
It is exciting when God shows us Truth from His Word through practical ways in our everyday life. He becomes more real, touchable and approachable to us when we encounter His reality in our normal daily living. A frequently quoted portion of scripture is Luke 15:3-7, the Parable of the Lost Sheep. It is interesting to me Jesus tells three parables, one after the other, all having the same general theme. There must be something important here Jesus wants us to grasp! The point, I believe He is trying to help us understand is, our Heavenly Father is passionately concerned about every person on planet earth! The Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Lost Son, all express deep concern for the one who is missing, lost or gone astray. The examples in the parables speak to us about how much our Heavenly Father cares for every person. Every person includes you and I! Jesus is saying, in essence, He would have gone to the cross and died to redeem just one!
My wife and I experienced firsthand, God’s Love and what He will do to draw one person into His Kingdom and relationship with himself. In October 2013, we traveled with a group from our church on a mission trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Our good friends Steve and Holly Taft are Missionaries there. The team went to help with the church God is building in Playa through and with Steve and Holly. We worked on the church building, which was under construction, along with other activities. A carnival was part of the activities to be held at the church, with the team going out in the surrounding neighborhoods to invite the children and their families. A lot of planning and preparation went into getting ready for those we hoped would come. Saturday, the day for the carnival came, and it was pouring rain! The team cut holes in garbage bags, slipped them over their heads, and braved the weather going door to door, inviting families to come. Even with the inclement weather, we were hopeful for a good response. The preparations were complete. We were ready to greet the families and show them a good time. We waited, and waited, but no one came! Finally one little girl and her father came through the door! She was shown a grand time! Everything we had done to prepare, was for one girl. It was quite an experience and revelation for those of us on the team. We were reminded, as we had prepared to leave on the trip, we had been told if we reached just one person, it was worth everything that went into the trip. That day had a lasting impact on the girl, whose name I believe is Anna and her family.
Recently, Patty and I were visiting with a friend who is involved in ministry. She told us of an experience she had, where God went to great lengths to reach one lady. Her story reminded me of our experience in Mexico, and reinforced the truth of God’s love for each of us. Our Heavenly Father is not willing that any should perish! (Matthew 18:14 and John 18:9) His love is truly amazing!
I am making an effort to begin posting to the blog each month. I am currently working on several posts. Look for the next release in about a month. Thanks to each of you who reads, comments and shares the posts. It encourages me and I appreciate the support. A reminder, you can sign up on the blog, to receive an email alert when a new post is released.