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If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? 
Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away!
In the same way, it is not my heavenly Fathers will that even one of these little ones should perish. 
Matthew 18:12-14 NLT
This is a wonderful story from Jesus about his heart for us, seeking out the lost.
But it always seemed odd that it's in the middle of Matthew 18, where the disciples have this argument about who will be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (yesterday my Pastor helped me make sense of it)
Jesus response starts with centering on a child into their gathering, and telling them off for their faith being skewed, and they needed to have faith like a child.
But Jesus didn't leave them in that. This story shares his heart for restoration, that even though his team had "wandered off" Jesus wasn't going to leave them there, his heart is to bring them back to himself.
Whenever we wander off, whenever I wander off, whether its theology, choices, behaviour, attitude, thoughts, reposnses, Jesus wants us back, with the faith of a child, back close to Him.
Jesus wants us back.
Because He Loves us.
#wordsofJesus
#redletterBible 
#wideopenspaces

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