I stopped at the country grocery store to buy a box of apples on the way home from work. As I walked into the store, I paused at the bulletin board at the entrance where people put up notices for others to read. The number of posters featuring lost pets caught my eye. One of these was a poster with a large photo of a beautiful golden retriever. The title of the poster was, “Have You Seen Buster?”
The poster was enough to break your heart. It said that Buster had disappeared and was greatly missed by his family. It also said he had a bad eye that needed special medicine, which, if left untreated, might cause blindness. Buster’s owner then made a heartfelt appeal for help in finding the dog. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for this family that had lost their pet they loved so much.
Sadly, Buster wasn’t the only pet that was lost. There was also a poster for Cassie, a twelve year old collie dog; Pixie, an eight-month-old Chihuahua dog dressed in a pink sweater; and one for Ozzie, a long-haired Persian cat. The poster for Ozzie had a photo of the cat sitting on a carpeted floor with a baby boy sleeping just behind it in the background. Pets can quickly become a much-loved part of the family, and their loss can cause a lot of pain.
Pets often become very important in our lives; however, there is something far more precious that can be lost. Boys and girls, and grown-ups too, who have never turned to God the Father in faith and love are also lost. Oh, they’re not lost in the sense that they might not know where they are. And they’re not lost because they can’t find their families. They are lost because they have gone astray into sin. And that includes every one of us! Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) reads, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.”
The phrase “gone astray” sounds like it might refer to a pet that has wandered off and can’t find its way home. But in this verse it is boys and girls and grown-ups who have wandered away from God. They aren’t interested in finding their way back to Him.
Those who stay “lost in sin” and never return to God will end up “lost” for all eternity! It is a terrible thing to be a lost sinner. Being lost means you miss out on the best things this life has to offer, and an even greater loss is missing out on heaven in the life to come.
God doesn’t want anyone to go through life being lost from Him. He wants all people to truly feel sorry about their sins and by faith come to Christ Jesus to have their sins washed away. That changes everything! Then someday He will bring them to His heavenly home.
God doesn’t need any kind of a poster with a picture on it to remind Him who is still “lost in sin.” He has each one at the center of His heart and loves them with a love that will never stop. He tirelessly seeks to bring the lost ones home. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to do exactly that. Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) reads, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Seeking lost sinners, the Lord Jesus went to the cross where He gave His life as a ransom for many. Sinners can find forgiveness because, as it says in the second part of Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6), “The Lord hath laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.” This means on the cross the Lord Jesus suffered the terrible penalty of sin, which is death, so that those who believe on Him might go free. Because of His work on the cross, the way is opened for sinners everywhere to have their sins washed away and return to God.
I know that Buster, Pixie, Cassie, and Ozzie would all return to their owners in an instant, with wagging or swishing tails, if only they could! If sinners only knew a little bit of God’s goodness and love, they would eagerly come back to Him too. They wouldn’t remain lost in their sins for a moment longer before they came to Jesus to be washed clean of their sins.
How about you? You can return to God this very minute by confessing the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and believing that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9) reads, “ If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
The problem with boys and girls is not, “Can they do it?” but, “Will they do it?” Will you decide to place your faith in the Lord Jesus and come back to Him and be one of His children forever?
ML-08/16/2015