Celebrate!Sample

God Loves Us All of us face that “lost-in-a-crowd” feeling at times. We wonder if anyone notices us, and we are sure no one cares. But the Lord sees us and pursues us with uninhibited love. To illustrate how much He longs for each of us to know Him, Jesus told a series of parables. He spoke of the shepherd searching for one lost sheep while the ninety-nine were safe in the fold. He told about the woman who swept and cleaned her home until she found the one lost coin. And then, as if telling about inanimate objects or farm animals would not show His heart fully enough, He told the story of the father who lovingly and diligently watched until his lost son returned. “Let’s celebrate!” the father cried. “For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24). The next time you are tempted to think no one cares, remember that our Father patiently waits for us and, by the Holy Spirit, lovingly pursues us.