Seeking the Lost, July 11

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Luke 15:4, 5. The parable of the straying sheep should be treasured as a motto in every household. The divine Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine, and goes out into the wilderness to seek the one that is lost. There are thickets, quagmires, and dangerous crevices in the rocks, and the Shepherd knows that if the sheep is in any of these places, a friendly hand must help it out. As He hears its bleating afar off, He encounters any and every difficulty that He may save His sheep that is lost. When He discovers the lost one, He does not greet it with reproaches. He is only glad that He has found it alive. With firm yet gentle hand He parts the briers, or takes it from the mire; tenderly He lifts it to His shoulders, and bears it back to the fold. The pure, sinless Redeemer bears the sinful, the unclean. The Sin-bearer carries the befouled sheep; yet so precious is His burden that He rejoices, singing, “I have found My sheep which was lost.” ... We must bear in mind the great joy manifested by the Shepherd at the recovery of the lost. He calls upon His neighbors, “Rejoice with Me; for I have found My sheep which was lost.” And all heaven echoes the note of joy. The Father Himself joys over the rescued one with singing. What a holy ecstasy of joy is expressed in this parable! That joy it is your privilege to share. Are you, who have this example before you, co-operating with Him who is seeking to save the lost? Are you co-laborers with Christ?—Testimonies for the Church 6:124.