Wanted!

So he [Jesus] told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 that was lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:3–7 (ESV)

The landscape of upbringings in our culture is incredibly diverse. This diversity can be positive, but far too often, it is wholly destructive. By now, you know that I was not raised in a home with the positive influences of the Gospel. No Jesus. We knew nothing about Him. However, in fairness to my parents, the vibe in our home was largely positive. My siblings and I were always encouraged to dream big dreams. My dad was always involved in the youth sports world, which consumed my childhood. Super strict, yes. Super upbeat and affirming, yes, as well. I do feel blessed in that regard.

However, this is not the case for many people. A ginormous number of folks were raised with mothers and fathers who constantly beat them down with words. Maybe you even suffered physical abuse. If either one of those describes your childhood, you’ve been significantly traumatized. Maybe you bounced from house to house as a child because your dad left when you were a baby, and your mom had a substance abuse problem and couldn’t care for you properly. You may be one of the millions that now wake up, as an adult, every morning, look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I am such a mess,” or “I’m struggling as a father,” or “You don’t know what I’ve done,” or “I am an addict,” or “my mom has told me I’m worthless my entire life,” or “My teacher tells me I'm slow,” or “my dad told me 1,000 times that I would never amount to anything,” or “my coach tells me all the time that I’m not good enough and need to quit,” or whatever other ugliness has been hurled at you. For a large chunk of the population, there is one word that encapsulates the feeling that everything above leaves a person with:

UNWANTED!

Don't buy the lie. Embrace your #imperfectosity. You matter. You are wanted. You may have been raised in a fatherless home. Your earthly father checked out when you were a baby because he, in fact, didn’t want to deal with a kid. But your heavenly Father did not check out, nor will He ever check out. You are wanted by Him. He pursues you and me relentlessly. I once heard an old preacher say “God will hunt you down.”

It reminded me of a 1980s old NFL Films video called the “NFL Crunch Course” I’ve got tucked away in my attic. One segment was about Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus who played from 1965-1973. To this day, he is viewed as the benchmark for middle linebackers and has long been known as one of the toughest players ever to play the game.

During the segment, Deacon Jones was interviewed about Butkus. Jones was a Hall of Fame defensive end from 1961 to 1974. He said, “Butkus was like a relentless well-conditioned animal . . . He’d chase a running back up in the stands. He’d chase him into the locker room. Into the parking lot. I’ve seen him do it.”

God pursues you with this kind of relentless fervor. He wishes that no one should perish (2 Peter 3:9), but everyone would repent and turn to Him. You are wanted. You matter. Regardless of how anyone has ever made you feel, you matter. Every single soul matters.

Chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke is one of the most critical chapters in the Bible. It includes three of the most essential parables Jesus ever told: the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. They all deal with this issue: the lost Sinner, God's incredible, amazing love, and His unrelenting “hunting down” of lost Sinners.

God’s incessant pursuit of man manifested itself in the person of Jesus Christ—the Good Shepherd. Just as the Shepherd in Luke 15 exists to rescue and protect his sheep, Jesus exists to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). He wants you. Why? Because you are loved!

When He finds you and delivers you, He says, “It’s party time.” Jesus emphatically goes on and shares the principle, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” I guess there must have been a rockin’ party when Butkus finally caught up to that running back in the parking lot.

Here's a fantastic takeaway that I want you to hold onto and think about all week . . . God is the infinite Creator of time, space, and matter, and He is holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, transcendent, and indeed a pretty busy dude. Notwithstanding the enormity of all that He is, in one of the most shocking truth claims the Bible makes, God astonishingly wants, loves, and cares for you and every other human being who will ever live. He wants to throw you over His broad shoulders and bring you home where you belong (Luke 15:5).

If you are a Christ-follower today, what do you do with that truth claim? Does it change how you walk through each day? I say if God wants, loves, and cares for every individual, so should you and I. There is a vast harvest out there waiting for you . . . one individual soul at a time . . . waiting to be won to the Lord. Love them like Jesus!!

Lord God, thank You that You are a God who went to crazy lengths to doggedly search for me, find me, save me, and change me. I pray today that You allow me to fully grasp the width and depth and height of Your love for mankind. Father, give me Your kind of love for my neighbor. In Jesus name, Amen.