People give up on God too quickly.
Or perhaps the better way to say it is that they give up on themselves. They look at their life (and the mess they’ve made of it), they look at their personal situation (and the lack of viable options it has) or they look at their finances (but not really, because they have none) — and they give up. They cannot see a path forward. Overwhelming fear paralyses them, and they give up hope. Desperation is a horrible companion.
Thankfully, though it may be too late for prevention it is never too late for redemption.
Today’s verse tells us:
HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT
The main reason that it is never too late for redemption is because God is never out of options or resources. And God never gives up on us.
HE CALLS
It is God who is in charge of what is happening in our lives. He is the one who calls to us and invites us to follow Him. He calls because He has a plan. It is not just some generic plan, but one that has our gifts, talents and calling taken into consideration. God says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has plans for your future!! He’s not going to force them on you, but He will walk you into them if you decide to follow Him. The poet Robert Frost famously writes about two roads that diverged in a wood. When you stand at a crossroads in life, you too can only choose one path. Frost says he chose the one less traveled, but you should choose the one where Jesus is walking.
HIS OWN SHEEP
We servants of God are working to further the faith of God’s elect. By our words, our actions and our expressions of love we seek to increase their knowledge of the truth and lead them to God. It is something that He has promised them, and He did so before the beginning of time. His elect have His promise of eternal life; and God does not lie.
So who, you may wonder, are God’s elect? A simple way to describe it would be to say, “It is everyone who will make the choice to listen to His message and believe.” Since God is omniscient, meaning He knows all things, He knows who will choose to respond to His offer of grace. Though He has preserved your freedom of choice, He also knows who will choose to walk His path with Him. No one who makes that choice will ever be turned away.
BY NAME
His call is personal. He’s not making some general announcement, but He is speaking to YOU. He promised it to those who would respond, and now He is bringing it to light. He is making it manifest and plain. He uses many means to do this. Today, right now, He is using our time together so I can share His call with you. If you are reading this small devotional today, He’s speaking to you.
If you don’t know Him already, if you’ve not listened and believed, He’s calling you into a new relationship. Follow Him as He takes one of the two paths ahead of you. There will be more choices, more forks in the road and many more challenges ahead. But all you need do is continue to follow Him, and He will always choose the right path.
If you have already made that choice, then you and I share a common faith. We are already on His path. For you and me this morning, He gives us grace and peace. More grace. New grace for the grace we’ve already used up. Abundant grace, more than sufficient to meet any need we will face today. Each day He will give you sufficient grace for the day. Don’t worry about tomorrow today, the time to deal with tomorrow is when it comes. With His grace He also gives His peace, a peace that goes beyond what you can understand or comprehend.
AND LEADS THEM OUT
He is in the lead. He knows where He is going. All He asks is that you follow Him.
HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT
It is never too late for God, because God is never too late. He holds time in His hand, and absolute power. Even when the situation appears hopeless. ESPECIALLY when the situation appears hopeless.
One day a synagogue leader came to Jesus. His daughter was dying. He’d tried everything else, nothing had worked. He heard that Jesus was nearby, and thought, “If I can only get to Him in time, maybe He can do something.” Few things in life will focus you like a child who is dying. He rushed to Jesus, literally fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and begged Him saying, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” While they were on the way back to his house they got the message that they were too late; the daughter was dead. The messengers thought they’d delivered the final word. The ruler of the synagogue thought he’d heard all he needed to hear. Dead. It was over; nothing to be done. No options. Nothing left to try that he could see.
But Jesus knew that HE WOULD HAVE the last word. He told the father, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
That’s what Jesus is saying to you, my friend. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He has a plan you cannot possibly see. But all you need to do is follow Him. Just believe.
It turns out that Jesus’ last word was actually two. When they got to the house, He went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). And that was when the synagogue ruler found out that God had a plan for his twelve-year-old daughter, because the dead girl was revived by Jesus’ words. She stood up, began to walk around and then had some lunch.
Jesus had the last word. He always does. Even when it LOOKS LIKE Jesus is too late, He’s not.
HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT
The last illustration I’ll share with you this morning is one that ought to give you hope. You see, I know what the enemy has been whispering in your ear; even as you’ve been reading. He’s been telling you that you have blown it, and that God is done with you. You’ve ruined your life, your sin is too great. And the enemy almost has you convinced. But that’s only because he’s a very, very good liar. But truth overpowers lies – ALWAYS. Light overcomes darkness – ALWAYS.
When I think about people who had a good reason to think they were too late for God to help, two folks come to mind.
The first had been a violent criminal for most of his life. He was known for open stealing, typically with violence. Not just someone who takes what is not his, but someone plunders and pillages – an unscrupulous and heartless marauder who was constantly exploiting the vulnerable without hesitating to use violence. That’s actually what the word that Matthew chose to describe the men nailed on crosses next to Jesus means. “Thief” just doesn’t quite do it justice. He repented mere hours before his life dripped from his body. Jesus forgave this man, and promised him that he would be together with Him in paradise.
Our minds think this makes no sense, because the “thief” didn’t do anything to deserve it. And THAT is the picture of grace. NONE OF US can do anything to deserve it.
The second person was a religious ruler, had been to the best schools, studied under the top teachers of the day and was very determined to preserve the purity of the Jewish faith. So determined, in fact, that he asked for and received arrest warrants from the religious rulers for anyone who was following Jesus. This “holy man” was out hunting for people to arrest, prosecute and kill for listening and believing when God literally knocked him off his high horse. Saul the Pharisee became Paul the Apostle, and he wrote most of the New Testament.
Hmmm, perhaps a couple more names do come to mind, now that I think of it.
Mine, for instance. The confession of St. Francis fits well on my lips. “I have been all things unholy; if God can use me, He can use anyone.” I had made a royal mess out of my life. Then the King of Kings stepped in and took over.
And the other name for whom it is not too late for God to step in and turn everything around??
It’s yours.
HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT
