You Are that One

 The parable of the "Prodigal Son" is probably one of the more familiar stories from the Bible. The reason that Jesus shared this story of lost and found may not be quite as established. In the opening verses of Luke 15 we are told that Jesus was preaching and teaching to a group of tax collectors and sinners when some of the local scribes and Pharisees began to complain that Jesus was meeting with the "bad" folks in town instead of spending His time with the more "righteous" members of the town. Jesus wanted to make the point clear that His job here on earth was to find the lost and help them receive the free gift of salvation. Not only did Jesus use the example of a wayward son who had lost all of his earthly possessions, but He also included parables about a lost lamb and another regarding a lost coin. The message Jesus was conveying is clear, Jesus came to this earth for you and He came for me!

A recurring theme in each of the parables shared in Luke 15 Jesus makes reference to the "one" that was lost. If a shepherd had one hundred sheep and one was lost, Jesus says that the shepherd would leave the ninety-nine to go find the one lost sheep. When the lost sheep was found the shepherd would celebrate with all his friends over finding the lost sheep. In verses 8-10 of the same chapter Jesus told a parable about a woman who loses one of her ten silver coins. She gets out the lamp, the broom, and even gets down on the floor to search until she finds the coin she had lost. When she finds the lost coin she celebrates and lets all her friends know that she found her lost coin. Finally, in the same setting Jesus shared the familiar story of the "Prodigal Son" where the younger son elected to take his inheritance and went out in the world only to squander his wealth away and wound up in the pigpens with the swine in a farmer's pen. In each parable the person who lost something celebrated more over finding what had been lost over the abundance that still remained with the owner. "I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent." Luke 15:7. The focus is not on the abundance, but on the loss of one. You are that one!

In a world with over 8 billion men, women, boys, and girls, it is easy to lose our identity of being that "one". There are going to be times when you or I will definitely feel like the one lost coin or the sheep that has strayed away. It is certainly possible that there will be times when you feel so distant from God that the loneliness can be overwhelming. Just like the prodigal son, you may be stuck in the mud of your life's mistakes, losses, or unfortunate circumstances, but if we listen carefully to the parables Jesus shared, He was much more interested in the one in 8 billion than all of those that were right there alongside Him. When you feel alone, you are not. When you feel lost, you are not. And when you feel like you have hit the bottom of the barrel you have not, because Jesus is right there with you. He always has been and He always will be. If you read the parables in Luke 15 you may be saying to yourself that is me. Guess what, you are right, you are that one! 

The Bible assures us that there is nowhere we can go that God is not right there with us. In Psalm 139:7-8 David asks, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." The point David is making is that God is there wherever we find ourselves. In this world of 8 billion plus people, God is with you, He is with me, and He will never leave you nor forsake you (Duet. 31:6). You are that one. If you are lost, you are that one that God will find. I want to leave you with this assurance today, our God is omnipotent and omniscient. He is with you and He knows what you are in need of. You are not alone. You are that one! Praise God!

Coach Carter