A beloved family member is famous for walking around the neighborhood and calling the lost family cat by name more than 10 years after its disappearance. She never gave up hope, persisting in a relentless pursuit of a literal lost cause.
That’s love. Some might call it wishful thinking, naivete, or even folly. But I dearly love this woman, so I’m calling her perseverance an act of love. I mean, if I was lost for more than 10 years, I’d want my family to never stop looking for me! Wouldn’t you?
Actually, I once was lost. Wandering in the dark, alone, and completely incapable of finding my way home. But Jesus found me. If you know Him as your Savior, that’s your story, too.
Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see.
Open your Bible and read Luke 19.
In the Kingdom of God, there are no lost causes. It doesn’t matter how far someone has gone, how dark the corner they’re hiding in, how unreachable they are. No one is too far or too hidden to be rescued by God.
Doesn’t that truth give you hope today? If you have a loved one who is lost, or if you feel like you’re too far gone, this is Good News.
At the beginning of today’s reading in Luke 19 (v.1-9), Jesus initiates a relationship with the most despised man in the community. A sinner. A lost cause.
But Jesus chose to pursue Zaccheus because He loved the man. And as a result, Zaccheus repented of his sin and even made restitution for the wrongs he had done. He was transformed into a new man.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV).”
Jesus said, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10, ESV).”
Friends, this is why we have Christmas. This is what it’s all about.
Jesus traveled from a higher realm through impossible means to seek and save the lost. The King of kings and Lord of lords humbled Himself as a helpless baby born in a dirty cave to come rescue us.
We were guilty of sin. And because God is just, He requires a penalty for sin. But Jesus said, “Let me pay the penalty instead. I will take the punishment for Jana’s sin. I will take the punishment for [your name]’s sin.” So He died on the cross to pay that penalty. Because of that, we can be saved.
That’s love.
If Jesus saved you, spend some time praising Him for it today. Meditate on the joy of His saving grace and the reason we celebrate Christmas.
If you have loved ones who are still lost, may your hope be restored today. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and no one is too lost for His rescuing reach.
