There’s realism in the ministry
of Jeremiah. He prophesies the Babylonian captivity. There is also hope.
He looks beyond the Babylonian captivity: “They will be taken to
Babylon and stay there.I come for them, declares the Lord. I will take
them from there and bring them back to this place” (Jeremiah 27:22). The
way we are led may not be easy. The destination will be glorious. When
things are going badly, we must never lose sight of the final goal of
God’s working in us and through us. Beyond the suffering, there is the
glory.
"The Son of Man came to save the lost" (Matthew 18:11). In Matthew 18:12-13, Jesus speaks about sheep. He's really speaking about us. He is the Shepherd. We are His sheep. Sheep wander away from the shepherd. We wander away from the Lord. The shepherd looks for the lost sheep. Jesus has come to seek for us and find us. He brings us home to God, our Father. Through His saving grace, we receive new life - a life in which we rejoice in our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He delivers us from the condemnation, which our sin has brought upon us. He brings us into the knowledge of His forgiveness. This Gospel of salvation changes us. It teaches us to live in the power of God's love. Jesus speaks about "the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12,23), "the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:14,24) and "eternal life" (Matthew 19:29). Jesus' way of thinking and living is so very different from the world's way of thinking and living. He chall...
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