"God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure."
Lost
The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10What is Jesus’ analysis of the human condition? That they are lost. Or rather that WE are lost. Earlier in Luke’s gospel (chapter15) Jesus had told the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. John 10 portrays Jesus as the Good Shepherd who came to save the lost, laying down his life for the sheep.
Lost means to be in the wrong place or heading in the wrong direction. Nigel Wright says that people: “are victims of a lost relationship with God, a lost experience of God’s love and a lost destiny (eternal life)”. The good news is that Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.
If you have had a dramatic or adult conversion then you are probably more aware of being lost and being found. If you have believed from childhood – like me- than you have to remind yourself that you were still part of that lost community.
The sad thing about our world is that most people do not recognize that they are lost. As we live our lives amongst other people, let us remember that we are lost people who have been found by God and seek to help our friends to find God too.
And to turn Nigel Wright’s words on their head, we have a restored relationship with God, we experience God’s love and a we know that our destiny is eternal life. Now that is quite a foundation from which to attack our day or training or competition or whatever we do.