You Need To Know You're Lost If You Want To Be Found
In 2021, a Turkish man named Beyhan Mutlu was reported missing after he wandered into a forest while drinking with friends. His wife and friends alerted authorities, and a search party was formed. Unaware that he was the subject of the search, Mutlu stumbled upon the group and decided to help them look for the "missing person." After hours of searching, he finally realized they were calling out his own name and responded, "I am here."
When he was taken aside by one of the rescuer workers to give a statement, he said, "Don't punish me too harshly, officer. My father will kill me."
One of the greatest challenges of evangelism is convincing the "lost" that they are indeed lost. So given to reiliance on our own "self"-righteousness, we find it nearly impossible to admit we actually need a Savior.
Yet the Lord persists in hunting us down, wooing us, calling our names.
"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?" (Matthew 18:12, NLT).
"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10, NLT).
Like poor Beyhand Mutlu, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way ..." We're all spiritually intoxicated, staggering around in the woods not even aware that we need help.
Yet, He IS calling you! So, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as [Israel] did in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:15, NIV). They'll be no angry father awaiting you, only the warm embrace of grace from the arms of the Savior.
Fix Your Eyes On Jesus
When I was a kid I used to look at the "magic eye" in the newspaper. Remember that? The colorful image where you had to gaze at it long enough until a picture emerged. Problem was, I used to get so frustrated at the magic eye. I could never see the image. People would say, "There! See it? It's a duck!" Or, "See! Right there! It's a rocket ship." And all I could see was a green blurry shadow.
Years later I found out I was color blind. What most people don't realize about color blindness is that it is not the absence of colors for most people. Colorblind people just see the colors differently than everyone else. Hence, they could never see a magic eye because they are focussed on the wrong colors.
The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to fix, "our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Trouble is, we are fixated on our problems. We strain at our worries, our doubts, our imperfections and even our sins. As these things capture and keep our gaze, we lose sight of Jesus.
To see Jesus in the blurry mess of life, we must focus our attention on Him. As we ponder His person, His victory, His promises to us, His faithfulness, etc., we begin to see Him in everything, even in the problems we face.
Sliders Steal Without You Noticing
"Sliders" are thieves who steal pocketbooks from cars at gas stations. They're called "sliders" because they sneak up to the car while the customer is focused on pumping gas in crouched position... sliding.
While the customer's attention is completely focused on the gas pump, these crooks make off with their valuables.
(Watch the YouTube video in the link)
Are there "sliders" in your life, people or things that stealthily slide in and rob you of the truly valuable things in life? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, warned His sheep of thieves who would "steal and kill and destroy." But He also promised that His "purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:10, NLT).
Why are we so trusting of everything but God? In a world full of thieves (sliders), why are we so hesitant to open the door to intimate communion with Jesus?
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture" (John 10:9).
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