GET LOST

It's a common enough phrase isn't it? It is generally said scornfully especially when we do not want to take someone seriously. But sometimes we do not have to be told to get lost. It just happens. You may be in a strange town looking for a certain address and before you know you are simply lost and haven't got a clue where you are. Then of course we can so easily lose an item, I lost my wedding ring and to this day I have never found it and have no idea where I lost it. 

Of course the business of lostness get much more serious when it involves people especially those who are near and dear to us. Perhaps as a child we can remember that sinking feeling as we got ourselves lost. It may only have been for a few moments but it was a traumatic experience at the time. In the Bible Jesus tells a story about a son who gets lost and caused his father a lot of heartache. The trouble was he got lost deliberately. It's a very modern story the kind of thing that happens in many homes today.

The son left home because he wanted his independence. He headed for the big city but soon got into bad company and ended up sleeping rough and without a penny in his pocket. All the time his father was waiting for him to return. Eventually the son saw sense and came home and his father welcomed him. Towards the end of the story the father calls for a big celebration and told everyone "for this son of mine ... was lost and is now found."

The point Jesus is making is that like the son we don't need to be told to "Get Lost" we are already lost. We are lost spiritually to God, we have lost our way through life, and we have lost our direction for God created us for fellowship with Himself. But we have gone our own way and snubbed God, we live life to please ourselves rather than to worship and serve God and in effect we have told God to "Get Lost" but it is not God who is lost we are, we have lost our spiritual and moral bearings. 

What can we do? We can turn to God and this is possible because God has sent his Son Jesus into our world with the purpose of giving his life so that our sin and rebellion against Him could be forgiven. If we turn to God and seek his forgiveness then like the son in the story God will welcome us with open arms.  If you know you are lost then the good news is that you can be found again by turning to God.