Church Life

Wolves Don’t Have Shepherds

~ seeingeternity
wolf

 

Jesus once told his disciples,  “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves”, then warned them:

“Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Mt 10:1-22)

Can you imagine the disciples’ faces?  Peter looking at John, Thomas staring blankly at Jesus in disbelief. What??  While they were still digesting that unwelcome new assignment, Jesus added calmly, “Don’t be afraid.” (v.26) 

Right. Floggings, arrests, betrayal, hatred and death? I can see Peter blurting out, “But Lord…!”

Jesus, who never downplayed the risks of following him, told them to move fearlessly among the wolves who might kill them, healing and announcing that the kingdom of heaven had drawn near.  Rather than fearing the wolves, they were to bless them and demonstrate such a radiant love for their Shepherd that the wolves would start longing to BE sheep, in order to have such a Shepherd.

And this is the exceedingly good news of the gospel: Wolves, even those with bloody sheep wool still stuck in their teeth, can be reborn into the Sheepfold, their very natures and species changed for all eternity.

Saul of Tarsus was such a wolf. After he met Jesus he repented, believed, was filled with the Spirit and baptized in water. (Acts 9) In so doing he “put on Christ” (Gal 3:27) and became part of God’s flock, eventually becoming known as the apostle Paul.

There were others, though, who tried to join the flock without giving up their wolf identity.  Instead of putting on Christ they put on sheep’s clothing, but “inwardly they were ferocious wolves”. They didn’t want a Shepherd. In time, their autonomous and predatory natures became evident. The fact is, they were never part of God’s flock.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Mt 7:15-23)

“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:19)

© 2017 Deborah Morris

Where Are Our Annas?

~ seeingeternity

annatemple

I’ve been pondering something the past few days. Where are today’s Annas? (Luke 2:36-38) The “holy women as of old” who devote their lives day and night to prayer and ministering to the Lord and his people?

I keep thinking of all the nursing homes filled mostly with elderly women who, willingly or not, devote their lives to watching TV or, if they’re able, playing games. Many of them are in Christ and have lived long lives rich in love and good works.

Have they grown discouraged due to heartache and physical afflictions? Have they forgotten how powerful their prayers are? Have they lost sight of their ageless beauty and radiance in the Spirit?

If the army of Annas cloistered in nursing homes would awaken to a call to prayer, they might soon find it difficult to find time to pray as they wish because those with hungry hearts would be drawn to them like a magnet. They could turn their cities upside down.

I’m praying for Annas. We need them.

© 2017 Deborah Morris

Make No Room for the Devil

~ seeingeternity

WelcomeMat

I grew up in the South where hospitality is in our blood. To quote Nero Wolfe, author Rex Stout’s fictional detective, I believe “a guest is a jewel resting on the cushion of hospitality.”  Terry and I tend to pamper our houseguests, serve meals to their tastes, and do our very best to make them feel comfortable and welcome in our home.

(Yes, we have a small but lovely guest room. No, this is not an open invitation!)

Hospitality is encouraged throughout the Bible. One glowing example is the Shunammite woman’s hospitality toward the prophet Elisha:

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.” (2 Kings 4:8-10)

The way I read this—here’s the whole story if you’re not familiar with it–she first lured the old prophet in with food, then made him so comfortable that he settled in as a regular guest. Hosting the man of God brought a blessing on the woman’s household.

What happens, though, when the one “continually passing our way” looking for accommodation is not a holy man of God, but a predator?

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Pet 5:8-9)

With this passerby, our welcome mats should be taken in. Satan targets our weakest areas, and like all skilled predators he studies us to learn our scent, our habits, and the inclinations of our hearts. If we don’t recognize his strategies in our lives we can find ourselves outmaneuvered.

“…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Cor 2:11)

“ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12)

Sadly, Terry and I have found that we are rather easy to outwit! In talking about this a few weeks ago, Terry pointed out a pattern he’s noticed when believers are lured into a sin that ends up mastering them. It has happened to us, and it may have happened to you. The first step isn’t a big one. In fact it’s almost unnoticeable.

We stop resisting.

A stranger comes to visit and starts knocking at our door. We know we shouldn’t answer, so we try to ignore it. It doesn’t stop. We try earplugs for a while, then we try to drown it out with loud praise music. Still the knocking continues, ever more urgent. Again and again and again he knocks.

Have you ever leaned into a strong wind, or stood in a river against a steady current as you fished? If you do it for very long your muscles start to ache even though you’re not moving. Standing firm might look effortless but it’s exhausting.

Sometimes in our weariness we give in and answer the door.

At first the stranger startles us with his beauty. He’s the sweet answer to the prayers of our flesh! After the long weariness of resisting it’s a relief to relax and smile and sit with a friend. His name may be Lust or Arrogance or Greed, but he looks pleasing to the eye… in fact, like an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14) After a nice visit, just long enough, he politely takes his leave.

We put him out of our mind. It wasn’t so bad. Just a short visit.

When he comes back a few days later, we don’t hesitate quite as long before answering the door. What’s the harm? Soon we become comfortable with his visits, which stretch longer and longer and become a familiar routine. We never go out looking for him, but when he comes we let him in.

Passive acceptance becomes comfortable and familiar. It’s another small step.

It can go on like this for months or even years, but eventually some invisible heart-line is crossed. Our neutral position shifts, and one day we find ourselves eagerly looking forward to the visits, listening for our friend’s approach. We want more. We crave more. We deserve more.

So like the Shunammite woman, we set aside a little room in our hearts and furnish it comfortably to make the visits more convenient. We set aside time and energy to daydream or indulge ourselves. Perhaps we open a secret email account, or change the password on our phone, or develop new habits and excuses.

Meanwhile we ignore all the warning signs and flashing lights:

“Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]” (Eph 4:27 AMPC)

“But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for [nor even think about gratifying] the flesh in regard to its improper desires.” (Rom 13:14 AMP)

Instead of resisting, we now find ourselves accommodating and hosting this unholy friend we’ve made. We feed him, and he grows stronger. He comes and goes as he pleases, but unlike Elisha is not content to confine himself to “his” room. He has his eyes set on taking the whole house.

It is true of Satan that if you give him an inch, he will take a mile. (John 10:10).

The fruit that started out tasting so sweet to our lips eventually turns bitter and carries the sting of slavery: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Rom 6:16)

A slave. No longer a willing host, nor even a strong man or woman “playing with fire”, but a cringing slave to sin. We hate what we’re doing but can’t stop.

How did this happen? The warning to not give room to the devil, even a tiny foothold, suddenly makes horrible sense.

Thank God there’s a way out. We have a Redeemer who hears our cry and comes to us!

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8)

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Rev 3:20)

This is a knock we can run to answer. Christ doesn’t leave us alone to “power” our way out of sin. Just as we yielded to temptation earlier, we can yield to the Spirit when the Lord of Life comes knocking.

When we yield to him he puts our house to rights.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3)

Terry and I have learned that we can take back territory the same way we lost it: stop resisting (God), yield to his persistent advances toward us, and then welcome him in as Master of the house, arranging everything to please him.

It’s a matter of choosing to whom you yield.

“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” (Rom 6:13)

“But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.” (1 Pet 3:15 NET)

May each of us make our heart a welcoming home for the Holy One.

© 2016 Deborah Morris

Questions or Comments?

Related Article: Stand Firm

Arrogance

~ seeingeternity

Arrogance can sometimes masquerade as spiritual authority.

A spiritual “know-it-all” is far, far from Jesus’ example.

” Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

Questions or Comments?

Church Life: Welcome to the Rock Tumbler!

~ seeingeternity

At home group last week, Terry shared a spiritual insight that really stuck with me.

Our daughter recently borrowed his rock tumbler, and he carefully explained the process required to turn the rough and dusty stones she’d collected into beautiful polished stones. It’s a lengthy, messy process that involves abrasive grit, water, and long periods where the stones bang into each other repeatedly.

rocktumbler2

You start with a very coarse grit to knock off sharp edges and smooth out rough surfaces. The next step is a slightly finer abrasive. More muddy water. More tumbling. More detailed refining.

After 5 or 6 weeks, the stones look startlingly different from the rough, dull rocks that went in. They are now smooth and satiny to the touch. Colors pop. They have become almost jewel-like in their beauty.

rocktumbler

So it is with life in the Church. THAT is why genuinely engaging is so important. Not attending, not supporting, not regularly visiting, but jumping right into the rock tumbler with all your imperfect brothers and sisters. Forgiving. Loving. Confronting. Repenting. Rejoicing. Mourning. Praying. Humbling yourself. Gradually getting refined and polished so you can accurately reflect the beauty of the Father.

Terry calls it the “rock humbler”. There are no important rocks and no insignificant rocks. We each play a crucial role, and if we endure the process with faith, we eventually come out beautiful. One rock alone can’t do it.

So come on, jump in! There’s room for you.

 

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:5)

 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16)

© 2015 Deborah Morris

Questions or Comments?

The Heart of Church Discipline

~ seeingeternity

At lunch recently, a friend recalled her heated response several years ago when her brother, a long-time Christian, informed her that he was divorcing his wife. She got in his face and asked angrily, “Who raised you?! It couldn’t have been my parents!” That ugly conversation drove a wedge between them that lasted for years until she apologized.

This story came up during a conversation about church discipline and how to do it “right”. Many of us have seen it done wrong, where a brother or sister overcome in a sin is either riddled with a virtual shotgun blast of condemnation that says: “You are worthless, you are repulsive, you are rejected by God and by us!”, or conversely given a free pass in the name of grace that lets them sink in the quicksand of their ongoing sin, often dragging others in the church down with them.

Where is the Father’s heart in all this?

Let’s start with where it is not: disrespect for the brother or sister caught in a sin. James 3:9-10 says:   “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

Church discipline has to start with a deep understanding of the high status of the one being rebuked. You are speaking to someone made in God’s likeness. Show proper fear of the Lord and humility in your approach to them.

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”  (Gal 6:1)

“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

So how does that look in practice? Jesus laid out the sequence to be used in personal offenses, starting with a respectful private conversation:  “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained (won back) your brother.” (Matthew 18:15)

The goal is winning back something of immense value that’s in danger of being lost. It’s not about you! If you are living by the Spirit and walking in constant forgiveness—forgiving friends and enemies alike–you’ll be able to shed offenses like water off a duck’s back. Your heart’s concern should be the spiritual welfare of the sinning brother.

What if he doesn’t listen to you? “But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:16-17)

This is a sobering progression from the status of a believer in fellowship with Christ and his Church to that of someone excluded from fellowship and viewed essentially as a traitor to the faith. Pagans worshipped other gods, but tax collectors were Jews who had turned against their own people. They were shunned.

Does this mean you finally have permission to treat the unrepentant brother the way he “deserves”? To pull out that virtual shotgun and riddle him with all the self-righteous words you so patiently held back earlier?

Um, no.

The church at Corinth had a lot of problems, including a gross misunderstanding about grace. The Corinthian believers, mostly Gentiles, came from a culture that celebrated and encouraged sexual immorality, and they translated the forgiveness purchased by Jesus’ blood into complete freedom to sin without consequence:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.  And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?” (1 Cor 5:1-2)

Our response to a stubbornly unrepentant believer should be mourning even as the errant brother is excluded from both the church and individual fellowship.

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked person from among you.” (1 Cor 5:9-13)

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.” (Titus 3:10)

This is where a wail of discord rises from churches across the nation. “Where is the love?” they ask. “Wouldn’t it better to keep them connected to the church than to push them out? What if they never come back?”

Indeed, many don’t. But Jesus made it clear that it is wrong to value a human relationship—even our closest and most cherished of relationships–above him:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26, also Matthew 10:34-39)

An example of getting it wrong can be found in 1 Samuel 2. Eli, the high priest, verbally chided his sons (“Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours.  No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good!”) but failed to discipline them or remove them from their offices as priests. In v.29 God asked painfully, “Why do you honor your sons more than me…?” before pronouncing judgment on both Eli and his sons.

Love and discipline are not incompatible. They are inseparable. Hebrews 12 shows the Father’s heart toward his children in discipline. It is a demonstration of his deep love, done for their benefit, not for his. God’s eyes always remain on the long-term prize (“that we may share in his holiness”) rather than short-term outcomes.

Sometimes he has to use extreme measures to accomplish his purpose, as with the Corinthian brother who was engaged in sexual immorality. Paul wrote: “For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” (1 Cor 5:3-5)

(For those who might not be familiar with this story, let me insert a spoiler here: it has a happy ending. We’ll get to it later.)

The Father is more concerned with long-term gain than short-term pain. The pain isn’t limited to the one being disciplined. The hearts of those administering church discipline must be prepared to suffer deeply. There is no easy way out, no half-measure, once it comes to the point of putting a beloved but unrepentant brother or sister out of fellowship. At that point it moves beyond just the one person’s sin to serve as a warning to the church as a whole:

“Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.” (1 Tim 5:20)

God is dead serious about holiness in his Church, and he expects us to be serious about it as well.

“Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,  and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’—safe to do all these detestable things?  Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching!’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:9-11)

It’s all about the heart: the heart of the sinner and the heart of the one gently, humbly, respectfully calling him back to repentance. Repentance can’t be forced. You might bully someone into admitting their sin, and possibly even into promising to do better… but that is not repentance. Repentance comes from a heart of godly sorrow:

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.  See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done!” (2 Cor 7:10)

Zaccheus is a good example of that kind of repentance. He was a chief tax collector, a traitor who stole from his own people. Then Jesus called him by name: “Zaccheus!” (Hebrew: זכי‎, “pure”, “innocent“), and he suddenly had a change of heart.

“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’” (Luke 19:8) His repentance was demonstrated through both his words and actions. He demonstrated the “fruit of repentance”. (Matt 3:8)

Another example is our dear brother from Corinth who was heading for a possible Ananias and Sapphira type encounter. (See Acts 5). It appears that the whole Corinth church body followed Paul’s instruction to put him out of fellowship, causing him to experience such deep sorrow that Paul became concerned for him: “The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient.  Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Cor 2:6-8)

This is amazing grace. This is the heart of the Father.

I’d like to end with some thoughts about the “Discipline Success Story” told by Jesus himself: the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32)

First, raise your hand if you’ve always secretly thought the prodigal’s father was way too easy on his “bad” son and way too hard on his “good” son. Now keep it up if you’re thinking, “WHAT discipline?? I don’t remember the prodigal’s father doing any discipline!”

Let’s walk through the story with new eyes.

In this household, the father’s values were made clear. He was affluent, having jewelry and fine clothing (v22), plentiful livestock (v23) and hired servants (v17), but he was generous: even the servants had “food to spare”. He was also generous with his sons; everything he had was theirs to enjoy while they lived with him (v31). Both sons could have celebrated with their friends at any time as long as they honored their father’s household rules, which clearly embraced generosity, feasting, music and dancing (v25) but not wild living or prostitutes (v30).

He had standards, and both sons knew that.

The younger son was a rebel. He asked for his entire inheritance to be turned over to him even though his father was neither sick nor dead–a highly unusual and inappropriate request and a clear red flag to any parent who was paying attention. This young man was planning to go his own way!

The father could have refused the request. He could have exerted manipulative control by holding it back “for his own good”. Instead, he enabled his adult son to leave by handing over his inheritance prematurely. Sure enough, “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (v13).

It’s all about the heart. If the father saw the young man’s behavior as the most important thing, he probably could have controlled and bullied him to achieve that goal, at least for a time. If he saw the most important thing as “staying connected” to his son, he could have lowered his standards and allowed him to bring prostitutes into the house. Instead, he let him go.

It had to be a heartrending decision. Even then he didn’t focus all his attention on the rebel son. He made sure the older son also received his share without having to ask. This father noticed both his sons. He then watched the horizon for his lost son, yearning for his return but not mounting a rescue.

In the distant country, the son’s partying had quickly turned sour. His money was gone, famine was on the land, and he was starving. “He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything” (v16).

That’s when he remembered his father’s house. The generosity. The kindness. The provision. He came to his senses.

That was where, as with Zaccheus, the genuineness of his repentance became evident. He was humbled and broken and sorrowful. “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ (v18-19)

His father, ever watching, saw him at a great distance. Filled with compassion at his son’s wretched state, he ran down the road to welcome him home, hugging and kissing him. He interrupted the young man’s broken apology by yelling for servants to bring robes, rings, sandals! Food! Music! Dancing! “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” (v24)

The heart of the rebel son had been changed, and the father’s heart rejoiced.

The story doesn’t end there. In the midst of the noisy celebration, the father noticed the absence of his older son, the one who had quietly stayed at home and done all the right things. He found him sulking outside, angry over the fuss being made over the one who did all the wrong things. The father pleaded with him to come inside and join the party. (v28)

But like the all-day laborers in the vineyard who were offended by the latecomers receiving the same wages (Matt 20), the older son felt entitled to more. “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” (v29-30)

The father replied gently, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” The fact was, the more restrictive rules the elder son had imposed upon himself were of his own making. He had denied himself freedoms and blessings always available to him, then blamed the father for withholding them. He had not because he asked not.

The father could have easily added, like the landowner with the vineyard: “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Mat 20:15)

All too often, a difficult case of church discipline that should end neatly with the repentance and joyful restoration of a lost brother and sister instead ends with grumbling among the righteous “older brothers” in the congregation. They find God’s generosity toward a repentant sinner slightly offensive, like a bad smell. But in God’s upside-down economy where the humble are exalted and the last become first, the repentant sinner holds a special place in God’s heart:

“Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:3-7)

It’s all about the heart.

© 2015 Deborah Morris

Questions or Comments?