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| "Embraced, redeemed and restored- God's love for us as we reflect in remorse than repent."- F. Lugo |
I'll start by asking you this simple and direct question: What happens when you lose something very valuable and then you find it? You would get excited; celebrate, even want others to rejoice with you because what was once lost is now found.
I was reading the Parable of the Lost Son (see Luke 15:11-32), and started to reflect and revisit what happened on July 3, 2009. It was a day I will remember always. Although it was a day to celebrate, sadly the day was marred with sorrow, displeasure and discontentment of all sorts. Allow me to catch you up on the situations and circumstances that lead to a day of sadness. There was this young man who had decided in his own heart that he would do things himself. Although it was made clear to him what he should have done and shouldn't have done, he still decided to be lead by his emotions instead of leading his own heart. The year is 2007 and this young man decided to get married although all signs pointed to it being the wrong decision but it seemed like the adult thing to do. The wedding was small and very few people gathered around them to witness it. A year and half later through lack of leadership, counsel and humility the young man left his wife, lost the potential blessing of being a parent, and destroyed his marriage where trust, love and unity was no more.
I'm sure you can picture in your mind why July 3, 2009 was a saddening day for this fellow. Well he is now 29 years of age, living with family as he returned back to his family's home a broken shell of a man, with low self-esteem, anger, disgust, sorrow and disbelief in himself. Now it happened when everyone was asleep, and this young man was laying down crying himself into dehydration as he had no peace to rest, something started to change direction deep within him. He sat up at the edge of his bed and cried, and cried, and cried. He was so tired of messing up everything. He knew that his mistakes would take a long time to correct, yet he didn't have the strength to accomplish it. This young man looking into the absolute darkness and silence of his room, heard a voice deep within himself say, 'What you cannot see and cannot hear, is the darkness of your heart and the silence of love that was once in you.' This young man in tears cried out and said, "God, I can't do this anymore. I'm so sorry for what I have done. I need you. Please help me." What was presented to him would forever change his life. This same voice deep within him said, "I come with a gift. A gift no one will ever take away. As you lay your head down and it rises in the morning, all will be different. You will now hear and see."
As the young man rested in peace and arose the next day, he thought about what had happened to him the previous night. With a new sense of hope he found himself desiring to read the bible. The young man being as he is, found a bible application on his phone and started to read, and read and read. He couldn't get enough of the life changing words in the Bible. He was fascinated by the encouragement, the counsel, the direction the words seemed to speak into his heart, his mind, his everything. It was as if the words he read were life themselves. They were refreshing, inspiring, and also warned him of things he actually did and things he was afraid of and never wanted to do. The young man felt so very loved from the words he read. The more he read them, the more he heard that same voice from that troubling and faithful night. In actuality the young man was thoroughly convinced that Jesus had truly spoken to him and His presence was literally in the room with him on that night and he was amazed how God cared so much about him that He would intervene in his ruined life. The young man was smitten with the Word of God. He read it constantly. Carried it in his phone always, and felt this great urge to write about it and what it has done for him and what it could do for others. As the young man looked back on the night of July 3, 2009 he realized that it wasn't a sad day after all, but the beginning of a new life. One where he would never be alone, but God who came to him on that night would remain with him always and forever.
What an amazing story. I told you it was a day I would never forget. You may be asking yourself why? Because that young man is me. Praise the Lord!
As I mentioned in the beginning of this story, when something is lost and now found you rejoice! As it is written in the very inspiring, forgiving, loving, counseling, correcting, directing, saving, life changing, immutable and infallible Word of God, Jesus speaks "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10)
I leave you with this, we all make mistakes, but the biggest mistake you could EVER make, is not crying out to the Lord, to save you. As the Word of God declares to all people of all the world, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
Beloved, repent of your mistakes and cry out to the Lord. YOU WILL BE SAVED! Amen.
As always...YOU ARE LOVED.
