Lost.

Luke 19: 10
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Have you ever felt lost? Have you lost something? Do you even know if you've lost something? It may not be something to even touch or listen to. There are times when people who have felt they have lost their purpose in life.

What can be lost?

• Yourself.

Psalms 119: 176

"I have strayed like a lost sheep..."

There are times when one feels as though he has lost the ability to, for example, do well in a certain aspect of life which is important to him. Perhaps one has focused more on other things which affect his life in a different way to the extent that he feels lost and helpless when situations gets real tough. We can be doing something unnecessary instead of focusing on the more important aspects of our lives.

• Your life.

Matt 10: 39

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

If we take total control of our lives by doing what we please and not letting God take control of our lives, we will end up losing them. This is extremely obvious.

• Your soul.

Luke 9: 25

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"

I don't suppose everyone will go to the extent of wanting to control the whole world like some evil scientist... but most of us do want to do well in something, for example, getting promoted every year or so, get the latest _____, gain popularity with ________, and so on! I mean, I admit I want a Nobel prize...haha! The thing is, it's not wrong to want all these things, but do we focus on all these types of goals we set for ourselves based on reasons and motives we ought not to have? Do you see the point of earning so much $$ and buying lots of luxury goods when you know you can't bring them up to heaven or even down to hell? Should we not focus on God and keep growing His Kingdom? Should we lead self-centred lives, thinking about what to eat and buy next?

Luke 12: 28-31

"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well."

• Your reward.

2 John 8

"Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully."

Don't get distracted by other things which hinder you from running towards God! You may hate your boss, your colleagues, your work, but you still do the work on time and no doubt, you still get your pay. But God's different. He sees our hearts. Sometimes we may work towards a goal but we don't have the passion in our hearts or we simply just want the reward only, we don't get the reward.

• Heart. Courage.

2 Samuel 4: 1

"When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed."

2 Cor 4: 1

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."

Psalms 27: 13

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

God is there for us! All that we are facing, trials and tribulation, He knows them all! Seek him and you will not lose heart for He will carry you through your troubles.

• Hope.

Ezek 37: 11

"Then, he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' "

Where do we put our hope in? Your family? Your job? Your ipod? Place it only in God!

• Effectiveness.

Luke 14: 34

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"

• Passion.

Rev 3: 15-16

"I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Sometimes, just by not reading the word and not praying daily, we can lose our Passion in God. When we also focus too much on other things which keeps us away from communicating with God, we lose our Passion, our Effectiveness in our walk with God, our Hope that we should anchor in God, etc. We become apathetic which is not a cool thing by the way.

• Purity.

Psalms 51: 10

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

We do get tempted by many "you know", be it smoking, premarital sex, affairs, drinking too much, etc. And when we ever fall, be sure to pull God's hand to stand up again and don't fall into the same pit!

• Faith.

1Tim 1: 19

"holding on to faith and a good conscience."

The thief:

His purpose is to take from you. He steals, kills and destroys. He will look for any opportunity.

1 Peter 5: 8

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Things can be lost when you focus too much on unnecessary things. Duh.

The Shepherd:

Comes to give life.

• Protects.

Mal 3: 11

"I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,"

• Restores.

Hosea 6: 11

"Also for you, Judah, a harvest is appointed."

Psalms 23: 1-3

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

Psalms 41: 3

"The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness."

Psalms 51: 12

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Luke 19: 10

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Zech 9: 12

"Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

We may sometimes feel like we have turned our backs on Jesus but He is always here to restore us! He is the restorer of all lost things! If you are jeopardising your life for your pursuits in the world, know that God can restore your life! Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we can be restored! He's the reason we're standing. He's the greatest thing in my life! He's not mad nor angry at all the imperfect things we have done, He wants to restore you and I. God commits Himself into our lives.