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, NIV
About six weeks ago, I made a pledge to read the Bible in 2017 and I wanted to find/follow a daily devotional. I love how devotionals arerelatively short, so I knew it would be a commitment I could keep in my “busy schedule”. I wanted something sent to my email/phone so I could read my devotional before I even got out of bed. I wanted something deep, but yet I had to be able to understand and relate to it. I needed to spend some time reflecting on God’s word. No excuses!
During this time, Rick was also looking for a devotional. We ended up trying out a few different devotionals, but (for a variety of reasons) neither one of us could find what we were looking for. Then, in the middle of January, Rick told me that he isn’t supposed to just read devotionals, but God was asking him to write and share them- and he wanted me to partner with him in this challenge.
About a week later, Rick came home from work, sat at the kitchen table with his laptop, and wrote his devotional for the next day. After he set up the next blog entry, Rick looked at the blog’s statistics: He was frustrated that the “Page View Count” wasn’t as high as he was expecting. I responded with some comments of 1.) It’s only been a week-give it time and 2.) It doesn’t really matter.
As you can guess, I got some strange looks for my second comment, so I figured I should elaborate :)
As you can guess, I got some strange looks for my second comment, so I figured I should elaborate :)
I do not know why God wanted Rick to start writing and sharing devotionals- there are already HUNDREDS of websites, blogs, apps, books, etc. out there.... So why write another one? Why now? Why us?
I honestly do not have the answer to those questions. We’re two engineers who are good at math... I don’t do the putting-the-words-together-on-
By doing this, the worst thing that can happen is that no one reads this blog and Rick and I spend time reading the studying the bible (Risk = zero!). I have personally spent more time in God’s word in the last 2 weeks than I have in the past 6 months combined. I asked for a fire for Him, and by golly, God comes though again AND He gave us a huge assignment in the process. Excuses are no longer valid for not reading the bible this year, that’s for sure! ;)
But.......
I think God wants to use us for something more... I think all of this is because God needs us to reach someone(s) and turn them to Jesus- we need to help find His “one lost sheep” and bring them home.
Two bible verses are resonating in my head:
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service. 1 Timothy 1:12 NIV
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 NIV
Maybe God is using us because His Lost Sheep is someone we know (or we know someone who knows someone who knows someone!) and this is a “safe” medium to start a conversation about Jesus. Maybe it’s a total stranger who has been looking for Jesus, but the way we convey a certain topic makes it all “just click”. Maybe it’s someone who can relate to our stories and examples and this gives them a hunger for more. Or maybe it’s just sure “luck” through a Google search that we connect with His Lost Sheep.
Maybe it’s someone new to Christ.... maybe it’s someone who strayed and needs a push to find their way back... or maybe it’s a seasoned Christian who just wants a different view to re-ignite (or keep!) the fire going so they can continue with God’s purpose for their life.
I don’t know. We may never know... and the truth is--it doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter how the Lost Sheep find Him. It doesn’t matter if our blog has 1 reader or 1 million readers...We are not doing this for Rick and Steph. We are not doing this for a popularity contest or to see how high our “Page View” numbers can go. We are doing this because we serve a Great God, and we want the world to know that. We want to show you how Jesus makes a difference in your life and your eternity. We want the world to know that He loves YOU. THAT is what matters.
I know this blog will not turn the whole world towards Christianity... but I am hoping God can work through us to speak to someone and change a life.... make an eternal difference to someone. I hope we can help guide one person to Jesus.
....and if we can accomplish that? That IS something to Rejoice about.
