Are you lost?! Be sure you are found! Rapture ready!

Todays verse is the following: 1John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. First, what does it mean to “lay down our lives”? Jesus went out and spread HIS word to us. Even knowing full well that HE would be persecuted and ultimately die on the cross. He told us how we are to live and how we are to seek and find HIM! Second, we are to do this very thing! We are to share the ‘good news’ that is CHRIST JESUS. Even if that means we risk losing our friends and family, or we get persecuted. In some countries, people are even killed for sharing this message. Lastly, I want to talk about a parable that coincides with these thoughts. When we feel that we cannot come back to GOD. CHRIST JESUS is the ‘good shepherd’. Luke 15 shows that JESUS even gave us parables to learn from, showing us no matter how far we think we have fallen away from JESUS, there is still time to be found and repent (changing our ways and thoughts). In Luke 15:4-7; JESUS uses a flock of sheep as an example and the shepherd will go out to find the 1 lost sheep while leaving the 99 to do so. Because the 99 are not lost, they are where they need to be. Are we helping by motivating people to find or stay close to JESUS’ flock? Or what about Luke 15:8-10 (Parable of the Lost Coin); JESUS uses the example of a woman (who may not have much) that has 10 silver coins but loses one. How she searches everywhere until she finds that lost coin and is happy when she does. JESUS even states that the joy in heaven will be the same when 1 sinner repents! The coins represent people who belong to GOD, but the lost one when found brings GOD joy! Then there is Luke 15:11-32 (Parable of the Lost Son); this one when I read it and realized what it was saying hit me hard. Because I was that young man who ‘figuratively’ had my inheritance, and I left and squandered it by turning away from GOD to ‘live my life’ and I was fortunate enough to realize that this way of living was not productive of anything good. I was emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. It has only been the last couple of years that I really turned to GOD, understanding GOD will give me all that I need, not spoil me with worldly gifts that fill my wants and desires. The Parable of the Lost Son - read Luke 15:11-32 Even when you feel like you are the ‘lost son’ the ‘lost coin’ the ‘lost sheep’, CHRIST JESUS is waiting for you with open arms! You just have to seek him and repent! The choice is yours to make, GOD isn’t going to force you to make it, no one else can make the choice for you. There are consequences for our choices, this is true in our worldly lives and our eternal lives. We just need to be like the ‘lost son’ and humble ourselves, let go of our pride, and realize that CHRIST JESUS is the way, HE is the truth, HE is the everlasting life! #jesuschrist #Jesus #biblestudy #truth #rapture #bible #bibleverse #encouragement #hope #faith #salvation #christian #christianity