To Seek & To Save

I think this time of year, it’s so easy to say that we should keep the “Christ” in Christmas and that we should really focus on family and celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in reality, the world is trapped in the materialistic idea of Christmas from October through December. I mean, really, Christmas decorations come out in stores right after Halloween now and we are itching to put up our tree before Thanksgiving. Christmas has become way more about Santa, than Jesus. & don’t get me wrong, I am  sadly including myself in this group.

I have been daily reminding myself that this season is about celebrating the birth of Christ, not about gifts and parties. I have tried to focus on blessing others during christmas time instead of hitting the mall constantly in search of the perfect gift. In reality, this time of year makes no difference in terms of our daily struggles. Every day, every moment – we wake up and decide who we will serve, ourselves or Christ.

I have really been thinking about this verse a lot the past two weeks. “The Son of Man came to SEEK and to SAVE the lost”. What does that mean? “To seek” means to locate, discover, or search for and “to save” means to rescue or to set free. It blows my mind to think about. The Son of Man came to locate, discover, and search for ME. He came to rescue me, to set me free, to save ME. & where did he come from? He came from heaven, he was sent by God.

Last year, I shared a message entitled “He Loves to be with the ones He loves.” I absolutely love the analogy of the squirrel. Max says that although a family of squirrels amuses him from time to time, not once has he ever thought of becoming a squirrel. They hold no appeal, who would want to become a hairy rodent? “Count me out. But count Jesus in. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. Earth’s finest cuisine would be walnuts on heaven’s table. And the idea of becoming a squirrel with claws and tiny teeth and a furry tail? It’s nothing compared to God becoming a one-celled embryo and entering the womb of Mary. But he did. The God of the universe kicked against the wall of a womb, was born into the poverty of a peasant, and spent his first night in the feed trough of a cow. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14 NRSV).”

Seriously, the depth of His love for us is unfathomable. He came to seek and to save, me. I did nothing to deserve this, I do nothing to deserve this. My life is still messy, I still make mistakes everyday. I fall short of his perfection and standards by the minute. But, God sent His Son – to seek and to save – Me. I know I keep saying it over and over, but it just sounds so sweet to my ears and is so vast to grasp my mind around.

 

 

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