"For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" Luke 19:10 (by request)    

Some people say that Christianity is not a religion. To millions of people in the world religion means a search for God. Through painful self denial, or rigorous self-discipline, or deep meditation, many try to reach up and find God.    

If this is religion, then surely Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is completely the reverse. It is not man's reaching up to find God. It is the good news that God has reached down and found us. It is the story of God's coming as "the Son of Man" into the world to seek and to save. Christianity is explained in parables of a shepherd who left ninty-nine sheep to find  the one lost lamb, and a woman who searched every corner, every crack, until she found the piece of silver which she had lost.    

Whether we have been found by God through Baptism, as an infant in a Christian home, or on Skid Row after years of straying, the miracle of God's love is the same. It was not within our power to find  God, but He stooped to find us.  

Christian friends, Before we come to know Christ, we grope for God in the darkness. But if we search for Him in earnest, He will make Himself known, for He rewards those who diligently seek Him, Heb. 11:6.  

Man gropes his way through life's dark maze;                                                     To gods unknown he often prays,                                                                             Until one day he meets God's Son                                                                                     At last he's found the Living One.  

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.