A Great Missionary King
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. ”
When I was in middle school, we had a part of our schedule divided between Home Economics, Art, Woodshop, and Health classes. I remember when I was in the Home Economics class in which we were making pillows, and our teacher warned us to not lose our sewing needles, or we would not have one with which to finish the project!
Not long after that, I had a dream in which I couldn’t find my sewing needle. Half-awake, I started going through my room in the middle of the night. I turned on the lights, started rummaging around, moving all sorts of things, until my mother came into my room and asked me what I was doing. I told her I needed to find the sewing needle, or I couldn’t finish making my pillow. She told me that she had plenty of sewing needles and that she would give me one in the morning if I would go back to sleep, to which I agreed. I didn’t remember much of what happened the next morning, but it was a good laugh for all of us at breakfast!
Jesus, like young Rob, is also looking for something. But He is looking for something far more valuable. He is looking for people who are lost, separated from God, and in need of being brought back into a relationship with God because of sin. What makes this so extraordinary is that He is the Creator of all things and King over it all. Instead of sending someone else or just passing judgment on those who are in sin and rebellion against God, He came personally to find us and bring us back to Himself.
We have a God, who is Himself the greatest missionary. He comes and speaks peace to us through the Good News of the Cross and calls all of us to repent of hearts that have rejected Him. He invites us to embrace His forgiveness and have our relationship with Him made new. And part of that new relationship is being invited into the work that Jesus does! We have the honor of helping King Jesus do missions and seek out the lost! We are invited to work with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to help our friends and neighbors come to know and receive Jesus for themselves.
One of the wonderful ways you can be like Jesus is to follow Him into the harvest field of your community, seeking those who are lost! Show them the same love, kindness, and concern of our Savior that reflects the same love, kindness, and concern He showed you. Get to know those whom He has placed around you, just as Christ became personally involved with you!
Prayer
Father, we thank You that You sent Your Son to come and find us! We are filled with awe (and if we’re not, help us to be!) that the King of Glory would come for those who rebelled against You, and bring us back into a right relationship with You. More amazing is the invitation to join with You in looking for others. What a joy we experience through Your love for us! Amen.
