The Land Of The Lost

I remember coming home from college and seeing my brother watching a show called Land of The Lost. It was about a dad and his two kids who somehow got lost on a rafting trip and ended up in an unknown world where it was often hard to tell the friendly people from the evil ones. Hmm. Sound like the world we live in today, doesn't it?

Think about that old television shows title - Land of The Lost. Doesn't that perfectly describe us? Watch the news at night, especially the political coverage and tell me we are not lost. It looks like we are going to have a choice for president between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Talk about lost!!

This weekend for me was, in a nutshell, the two extremes this world has to offer. Saturday I attended the wedding of a young couple that was simply wonderful. We prayed three times during the brief service and God was honored, not only during the wedding ceremony but in the lives of the two young people. My friend is ROTC, preparing to serve others and her country.

Sunday, however, I am heading back to Wisconsin to minister to a young friend in trouble. This friend took a different turn in life and now finds herself in a battle between good and evil. No sign yet as to who is winning that battle. It could go either way.

And look at the presidential race, especially the Republican side. We The People are totally lost! Or are we? There is definitely a message that is being sent to Washington's politicians. Get out!! You're lost!!

As we examine our lives are WE lost? Have WE gone astray? How do we know we haven't been sucked into the world we live in and our views about God have become changed?

We must place our faith in Jesus and receive in us His promised Holy Spirit. We must read the Bible and apply its truths to our lives. We must remove from us any wrong thinking or sinful action, and that is the battle we face.

This world constantly pulls at us wanting us to be assimilated into itself. Yet God calls us to be holy - "set apart." Who will we follow? Are we following someone that is leading us astray? And how will we know?

God gave us His Holy Word - The Bible. Read it lately?

I am reminded of the lyrics in that old hymn Amazing Grace.

"I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see."

God's grace truly is amazing. But the only way we can experience it is to receive it. We must allow Him to "find us" in our lost nature. Only then can we leave the Land of The Lost behind. Only then can he truly see.

"3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." - Luke 15:3-7

Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) - Hillsong Worship