Read
Luke 15:1-24
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”  Verse 20 (NIV)

Reflect
I have heard it said many times: Do you want to discover what you really value? Take a hard look at your check book or bank statements; your calendar; your daily scheduled appointments and commitments. What you see in these items is the things that show your sense of values. Where you spend your money and time tells a lot about what you think is really important and valuable.

God goes all out to seek people in order to have a deep, loving relationship with them. God wants followers who care about the same things he cares about. Jesus’ parables in Luke 15 tell us about the deeply loving caring heart of God. In this section of Scripture, we find three powerful stories with the same theme: something precious and valuable is lost, and it simply must be found and restored! We sense the pain of deep loss; we are caught up in the search and desire for restoration; we feel the thrill of rediscovery; and we experience the great joy of celebrating with a big party.

You can always tell what you value by what you do. Does your heart beat in tune with God’s heart? Will you go out of your way to join God’s mission of love to those who aren’t home with the Father yet?

Pray
Lord, thank you for coming to look for us long before we started searching for you. Use us to be your restoring presence today among people who’ve lost their way. Amen.