Welcome to day 7 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in Matthew 19:10-14.

(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 if you missed them)

Matthew 19:10-14

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ^[11]

¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

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Every person is incredibly precious to Jesus. He loves each and every one, beyond anything we can fathom. Jesus loves you so much more than you can comprehend.

And so, when you are alone and away from the support of the group, our Shepherd is relentless in bringing you back safely. And, just like the shepherd with 100 sheep, He rejoices more for the one brought back safe than for all the 99. The one that was lost was more in need and more vulnerable than all the 99.

The moment we wander from the group and from our Shepherd, we are vulnerable. Just like sheep, we aren’t meant to be alone. We need the safety and fellowship of our Shepherd and each other. We are healthier when we’re in a group, and it’s much harder for predators to attack when we stand together.

But we know how sheep are. It’s in their nature to wander. We know that we, too, tend to wander. That’s why our Shepherd makes it His responsibility to keep us safe.

May we stay with our Shepherd, and may we rejoice with Him each time He returns with a sheep that had wandered off alone.

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you tomorrow, for Day 8, and Psalm 121!

♥ Samantha