A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW 

SEEKING THE LOST      

Matthew 18:12-14 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” 

Sheep herding is not a glamourous occupation. Sheep are soft and cuddly, but they are also unable to care for themselves. They need a shepherd to lead them to pasture, and water. They especially need a shepherd to protect them from their natural predators.   

Sheep are also curious. They tend to not pay attention to their surroundings, are easily distracted, and wander away from the rest of the flock. Jesus used this characteristic of sheep in today’s parable. As sheep are prone to wander off, they become lost and unable to find their way back to the flock so believers in Christ do not always pay attention to their surroundings, become distracted, do nothing recognize spiritual danger, and endanger their lives.   

Your evil foes do everything in their power to try to draw you away from the body of Christ. They attempt to distract you with activities that seem innocent and harmless. Eventually, through their efforts you become separated from the body of Christ, you no longer attend church, receive the Lord’s Supper, read your Bible.   

Your heavenly Father does not want you to remain separated from the body of Christ. He has appointed shepherds (pastors) to watch over the members of the church. Churches appoint Elders to assist the pastor in this work. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 encourages you to be concerned about your brother and sister in Christ, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 

Prayer: Father, preserve Your family for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 

O God, O Lord of heav’n and earth   
Thy living finger never wrote  
That life should be an aimless mote,   
A deathward drift from futile birth.   
Thy Word meant life triumphant hurled  
In splendor through Thy broken world.  
Since light awoke and life began,  
Thou hast desired Thy life for man. 

Our fatal will to equal Thee,   
Our rebel will wrought death and night.  
We seized and used in prideful spite  
Thy wondrous gift of liberty.  
We housed us in this house of doom,   
Where death had royal scope and room,  
Until Thy servant, Prince of Peace,  
Breached all its walls for our release.  

Thou camest to our hall of death,  
O Christ, to breathe out poisoned air,  
To drink for us the dark despair  
That strangled our reluctant breath.  
How beautiful the feet that trod   
The road that leads us back to God!  
How beautiful the feet that ran  
To bring the great good news to man!  

O Spirit, who didst once restore  
Thy Church that it might be again  
The bringer of good news to men,  
Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more   
That in these gray and latter days  
There may be those whose life is praise,  
Each life a high doxology  
To Father, Son, and unto Thee.  

O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth // LSB 834