I was dead, now I am alive! I was lost but now I am found!

Every time we let Nole (our Toy Fox Terrier) out, Stitch (our cat), thinks he needs to walk outside with him. This morning Stitch in his usual fashion walked out with Nole, but he came in before our pup. I turned my back to do something in the house for just a minute and when I returned to check on Nole, he was no where to be found. I called Nole's name and there was no Nole. I was in PJ's, barefoot walking all around our yard and the neighbor yards searching all over for Nole ...and still, there was no Nole.

I began to think crazy thoughts, "what if a huge bird swooped down and got him?!" I kept searching for him, determined to find him. I was in our backyard when some movement caught my eye. I saw Nole. He was behind a fence looking at me. I ran over to him, pulled him under the fence and held him in my arms. I didn't care that he had muddy little paws, I was thankful he was okay and that I had found him.

Now, as I am blogging with Nole in my lap,  the story of the prodigal {a person who leaves home and behaves in such a way, but later makes a repentant return} son comes to my mind.

If you have never read this story in the bible it is found in Luke 15. I'll recap-

The tax collectors and sinners were listening to Jesus speak, which led to some complaints from the Pharisees {a member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity} and scribes.

"This Man receives sinners AND eats with them."

SO...Jesus told them some parables {stories}.

{side note} [these parables are some of my favorites because I feel like I can relate to the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son]

Jesus tells a story about the lost sheep.

Luke 15:4-7

⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

He then tells the story about the lost coin.

Luke 15:8-10

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Finally, He tells the story about the lost son.

Luke 15:11-32

¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[b]’
²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on.²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Okay, so maybe that wasn't a recap...that was basically the entire chapter, but it is so good! 

I am so thankful that I serve a God that is willing to come into our mess and pull us out to rescue us. Just like I wasn't afraid to pull Nole out from under that fence with mud all over his paws, Jesus doesn't mind finding us a little dirty. I ran from God for YEARS but when I came back to him he picked me up right where I was and turned my mess into His message of grace and compassion. I am so thankful that I serve a God that loves me no matter where I may be in life, but he loves me so much that He doesn't want me to stay there. God wants us to continue to run the race set before us.

Hebrews 12:1
[ God’s Discipline Proves His Love ] 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

God gives us free will.  Just like the prodigal son chose to squander away everything he owned, we can choose to do the same; but, that's not what He wants for us. He doesn't wish for anyone to perish.

2 Peter 3:9

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

If you feel you are too far gone for God to save you, you're wrong. 

Repent{realize your need to turn from the direction you've been going, ask God for forgiveness and receive}. 

God is waiting to give you your own, 

"I was dead, now I am alive! I was lost but now I am found!" story...receive it.

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I thank You for this day. I thank You for Your goodness. I praise You for coming after me when I thought I least deserved to be sought after. I love You Father and thank You that what You do for one man You will do for the next, because you are no respecter of person. Lord, I pray many would come running to You just as the son did in the story You told so many years ago. 

We thank You for Your grace.

I love You. 

In Jesus' Name

Amen