One is just a number, yet the desire to be valuable or be valued by someone is one of our utmost desires. Even though we’re insignificant at times, relevance is what we seek.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It stemmed from jealousy, at times, since the human mind is corrupted easily. However, it was not so in most cases. We wanted to be loved; to be the number one at least in someone’s mind.
We often ran a banter with one of my children; ‘1 or 2?’ which one did you choose? Sometimes 2 or 3, it was hard to determine what the numbers represent. It represents the siblings in order of their age.
Yet for me to blind-pick a number wasn’t easy, especially after I knew the game. If I picked the wrong number, there goes ‘Oh, I’m not your first choice….’ And, that’s our little mind game.
Let me add one more situation: when money matters, just 1 one makes a lot of difference. If it is used in calculating the interest, it easily adds up to a point where it needs to be reduced to a decimal.
The value of One:
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14
These words of Jesus Christ revealed the compassionate heart of God through the parable of the lost sheep. You and I are the precious one which is lost.
Jesus uses this simple yet profound story to illustrate the depth of God’s love for each one of us, especially those who have gone astray.
One is worthy of God:
In the parable, the shepherd has a hundred sheep. To many, losing one might not seem like a significant loss. But to the shepherd, every single sheep is precious.
This reflects God’s perspective: He values every individual so highly that He is willing to leave the ninety-nine to search for the one that is lost.
The numbers do not dilute God’s love; each person is of infinite worth to Him. He creates us in his image, so we are worthy of him.
The God of love keeps pursuing us, looking after us until his creation is complete. We may feel insignificant and no more worthy to anyone, but to the Lord God, we are still worthy. Now this lifts my spirit!
The Pursuit of One:
The shepherd’s response to the wandering sheep is immediate and proactive. He doesn’t wait for the sheep to find its way back; instead, he goes out into the hills, seeking the one that has strayed.
This is a beautiful picture of God’s pursuit of us. When we wander, He doesn’t abandon us; He actively searches for us, reaching out with love and grace to bring us back into His fold.
One by one, with great patience, in his abiding grace, God is after us. The Ninety-nine is incomplete to Him; we all are part of God’s plan in his love. It is time to appreciate and acknowledge His love and compassion to form a new relationship with him.
The Joy of Finding One:
The joy, when the shepherd finds the lost one, reflects God’s delight when one sinner repents and returns to Him.
No, it’s not that He loves the ninety-nine any less, but there is a special joy in the restoration of what was lost. This shows us how much God desires to see each person restored to a right relationship with Him.
I am glad God found me while I was lost! I praise God for His amazing grace! Until today and for time to come, he is worthy to cling to for eternity. It takes a leap of faith to be on board with his great love and care.
One and for All:
God’s heart is for all to be saved, and He desires that none should be lost. This underscores the inclusivity of God’s love and the lengths to which He will go to save even the one who has strayed.
There were circumstances in life that made us think what we should not think. The ups and downs of life, sometimes it seems there are no ups but rather more downs in our journey.
Then we often wandered from God. I am prone to slipping away from God even in my thoughts. I don’t know if you did the same. If so, take heart in knowing that God is seeking you, ready to bring you back with joy.
Sharing with the one:
It is the will of God to spread the love, bring back, or find anyone missing from the flock. For those who are already in the fold, we have a challenge to share God’s heart for the lost.
Although not fully righteous in any sense, we are called to join in the search, reaching out with the same love and compassion that the shepherd has for his sheep.
We may not find many, it’s that ‘one’ you find that matters. We have to bring it back to the Shepherd for his restoration. It will be a privilege to remind them they are the golden ones!
As much as we find the joy of the one being found, we must share the joy with the one in our pilgrimage towards the safe place.
It gives me this special feeling of being the one found by God, to be the one among his children, and a very precious one!
#thelostone
#preciousone
#goldenone
