Peoria Times
20 RELIGION
February 3, 2022
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Our lost and found department is in Luke 15 CHURCH-COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Pastor Ed Delph Peoria Times Columnist
One of my favorite chapters in the Scriptures is Luke 15. There are three stories of loss and recovery, all designed to communicate that no matter how lost one feels in this life, the way for healing is always there. God’s waiting, loving, wanting, wishing and hoping all of us “flawsome” people will someday return. What does “flawsome” mean to God? It’s God knowing our flaws but also knowing we are awesome. Heaven is a lost and then found department, not just a found department. Jesus didn’t come to judge the world; He came to save or rescue us from the world. Jesus says to us, “You are
Harvest CHurCH 8340 W. Northern Ave. Glendale, AZ 85305 Information 623.334.9482
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the found son. They once were lost, but now they’re found. These three lost and found examples were given by Jesus to the assembled Pharisees, who have accused him of dining with “sinners.” The Pharisees weren’t fair, you see. They judged everyone by their behavior. The Pharisees represent religion at its worst. But Jesus came to show us what God thinks of people. The Pharisees knew the “sinners” names but called them by their sin. Jesus knew their sin but called them by their names. Who people are and what they do are two different things. Jesus uses the example of a man with 100 sheep. If he lost one of them, he would leave the other 99 to go and find the lost one and rejoice when he found it. Leaving the 99 sheep to find the one sheep seems stupid unless
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SEE LUKE PAGE 23
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a precious lesson. It did not decrease in value. Even though the $20 bill is crumpled up and dirty, it is still worth $20.” In our lives, we are often dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. As a result, we feel we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God’s eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless. Let’s visit our lost and found department in Luke, Chapter 15. First, we see the lost sheep. Next, we see a lost coin. And last, we see a lost son. Notice that I focused on lostness. People tend to see the negative side of things. We think in terms of shame and missteps. So, I’m changing it. God believes another way. God sees the found sheep, the found coin and
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worth dying for.” When we find out how much we are worth to God, we will stop giving discounts. When people hate you for no reason, remember God loves you for no reason. Check out this short story illustrating “flawsome.” A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of over 200 people, he asked a question, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I will give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the $20 bill up. Then he asked, “Who still wants it?” All the hands stayed in the air. “Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” All the hands were up in the air. “People, you have all learned
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