There are billions of people in the world so why would an all-powerful, omnipresent God care about little ole me? He can’t possibly be concerned about someone as unimportant or as minuscule as I am in the grand scheme of things. There must be bigger and better things for God to worry about than whether or not I make it into heaven.

Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you ever have these thoughts? Perhaps you believe that there is a distant God out there but that he is not involved in the everyday goings on in the world. Is any of this what is hindering you from accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

These questions and thoughts are understandable, it certainly is hard to wrap your head around the idea of a God who is so big that he can see all and know all, and that he actually loves and cares about all of us. But this is exactly what Jesus taught us about God the Father.

Jesus taught us how much God longs for us to come back to him. Luke 15 consists of three parables which Jesus used to teach us this very point, the most famous of these is the last one, which we will touch on first.

The parable of the Prodigal Son:

The story is well-known. A man asks his father for his inheritance and leaves town, squanders his money on sinful living and eventually comes home in shame when he has nowhere else to turn. His father, rather than being angry at being neglected and treated so shabbily, actually runs out to greet his son, and welcomes him home with open arms, saying “my son was dead and is now alive, was lost and is now found.” The father holds a great celebration for his son’s return.¹

Jesus doesn’t tell us the meaning of this parable, but it is clear that he is saying this is how God feels toward us every time one of us comes home, he is waiting there with open arms.

The first and second parables in the chapter are very similar, one uses a lost sheep and the other a lost coin. We’ll use the parable of the lost sheep:

A man has one hundred sheep, but one of them wanders off and gets lost. Rather than leaving the one sheep lost and wandering defenseless in the world, he leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one lost sheep. He scours the countryside until he finally finds that one lost sheep. He picks up the sheep, throws it over his shoulders, and brings it home in great celebration.²

Again, the meaning here is clear, it is similar to the message of the parable of the Prodigal Son. However, in this parable God is actually seeking the lost souls, looking to carry them home.

That’s not all, for Jesus continues. Here is what Jesus says this in Luke 15:7:

there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (ESV)

What a beautiful image! All of heaven celebrating just one lost soul coming home. And this celebration happens every single time one more comes home. God created each and every one of us, he knit us together in the womb.³ When we reject him it pains him, so he seeks us and waits for us to come home, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”⁴ God loves his creation and each and every one of us are a part of his creation.

God is seeking the lost, but he is also waiting patiently for each and every lost sheep to come home. He is seeking and waiting for you too…

What is keeping you from coming home to God? Most likely it is either feelings of pride, stubbornness, shame, or guilt, or a portion of these feelings combined. If that is the case please understand that just like the son in the parable of the prodigal son, you cannot out-sin God’s love, he is sitting there waiting and hoping to hear you cry out to him, and when you do come home there will be more cheering in heaven than for those who never left.

Pride and stubbornness are the tough ones to overcome, because most likely they stem from an aversion to admitting you are wrong. The first step is the hardest, but you must humble yourself before the Lord and admit you need his help, for God gives grace to the humble.⁵

What about shame and guilt? These feelings are understandable, but remember that God will forgive a repentant heart, and not only will he forgive, but he will forget all of your sins. If God is not ashamed of you it should be a source of comfort to you. You can lift your head up high, there will be no shame or guilt in heaven.

Turn to Jesus, he has a room prepared for you,⁶ and let the heavenly celebration of your salvation begin, God wants to see every seat filled!

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1. Paraphrase of Luke 15: 11-32 ↩︎
2. Paraphrase of Luke 15: 4-6 ↩︎
3. Psalm 139:13 ↩︎
4. 2 Peter 3:9 ↩︎
5. James 4:6 ↩︎
6. John 14:2 ↩︎