And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. – Luke 15:6
As a teenager, one Sunday morning at church, I was surprised to see a new face when I looked up on the platform. It was a man, probably in his mid-thirties, and he was playing a guitar throughout the meeting. When I recognized him I was amazed—this was the old drunk of the community!
Later I learned his testimony. He said that one night the Lord visited him at a tavern. He had been an alcoholic, but that night, all of a sudden he came to his senses. Suddenly, the people he saw dancing on the dance floor looked to him like they were acting silly. He wondered, What are they doing out there? His eyes were being opened and he realized he was lost. Before, he had always loved to drink and smoke, but when he tried to take another cigarette, it was like poison to him. He left that tavern a little after midnight and drove to his parents’ house—he was the son of the man who had been the pastor of our church for twenty-five years. He knocked on a door and said he needed someone to pray with him. He said he needed the Lord. That night the lost was found, and there was great rejoicing for all of us!
Today’s focus verse is from the parable of the lost sheep, where Jesus compares the spiritually lost to a lamb who has wandered astray. We notice that when the shepherd found his lost sheep, the celebration was not only for the shepherd and the sheep. No, after placing the sheep up on his shoulders, he went back to his friends saying, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost!” This is what Jesus says to us as a body of believers—we rejoice when a soul comes home to the Lord! It is a thrill in our hearts, as well as it brings joy in Heaven among the angels.
Do you know how to stir Heaven? It is not by earning college degrees, accomplishing physical feats, or climbing the ladder of success. Those things may be fine, but what really causes excitement in Heaven is when one comes before the Lord and repents of his sins. May the purpose of our hearts be to always do all we can to bring lost souls to Christ. There will be great rejoicing if we do!