FOUND AGAIN

Easy to Lose but Hard to Find Again

HOW many of us have lost something of great value and have had to search and search before we found it again! Many of us probably have had that experience and sometimes have had to do some hard praying before the lost was found.

      At the age of twelve, Jesus went with His parents up to Jerusalem, a trip they made once every year. This trip was especially eventful. On their return journey something happened that stirred the whole crowd thronging the highways out of Jerusalem and caused much concern in the city, too.

      Mary and Joseph had lost their child, Jesus, on the way. There were many returning from the feast, and they had traveled a whole day supposing their child, Jesus, was among the crowd on the highway. It may have been getting a little dark at this time and they wanted to make certain that their son was properly taken care of for the night.  They looked everywhere for Him. They searched among all those who were traveling with them, but could not find Him. The more they looked the more anxious they became. They feared they had lost Him, for He had been missing the whole day.

      What did they do? Did they go on without Him? No! They turned right around and went back to the city and began to search there. For three days they searched diligently. At last they came into the Temple where there were lawyers and doctors, and priests and ministers. There they found Him listening to those grown men and asking them hard questions. They were astonished at His understanding and marveled at His answers to their questions. His mother was amazed when she found Him in the Temple, but Jesus told her He was talking to these men about His Father’s business. He was talking to them about the things of His Heavenly Father. Jesus was lost just one day before He was missed, but it took three days to find Him. How happy His parents were to have Him with them again! They returned to their home in Nazareth, and He obeyed His parents in all they told Him to do.

How to Find Joy

      Some people lose Jesus out of their heart after they have been saved and have known the joy of having Him with them every day. And sometimes they do not realize He is gone, until a temptation comes and they find that they do not have the power to do the right thing. They supposed He was still there – but they had not been praying or reading the Bible as they used to do, and they forgot what God’s Word told them to do in order to keep Jesus in their heart. It is easy to commit a little sin, and do wrong things when one does not read and pray. Sin takes the Word of God out of the heart.

      When Jesus has gone from your heart and you try to find Him again you may have to pray harder than when you first prayed to be saved. You must mean what you say to the Lord always; and if you are sorry that you sinned against Him and if you ask Him to forgive you, He will forgive you and save you again. Seek God just as earnestly as the parents of Jesus sought Him after they lost Him, and you will get that sweet joy which you had lost, back in your heart. You will be happy again and you will be more careful not to lose Him.

      If you have never had Jesus in your heart, or you have had Him and have lost Him, seek till you find Him. Just think of it – you can have Jesus, the Son of God, in your heart, living, moving,  causing you to act right, to do right, to be obedient and not to commit sin, not to grieve the Spirit of God in any way.

Standing True

      You may wonder if children can really have God’s blessing upon their lives and keep true out among those who do not live right. Yes, that is very possible. Jesus will come right in when you give Him your heart and promise Him your life. He will cause you to stand true to Him against all temptation. Other children might laugh at you or make fun of you because you are a Christian, but you will not care about that. You will never be ashamed of Jesus as long as you keep Him in your heart. You can feel sorry for these children who are making fun of you. You can think of them growing up in sin and someday facing God after living a life of sin. And what a terrible thing it will be for them when God will say, Depart from Me, ye workers of iniquity; I know you not! It will be so different for the Christian child who has loved to please God and has loved to obey Him. When you stand before the Great White Throne you will not have to be ashamed of the life you lived. You will be so glad that you were not ashamed of Jesus among the young people here in this world.

Precious Jewels

      Jesus said: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this … sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man [Jesus] be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). So if we do not want Jesus to be ashamed of us when He comes, we must not be ashamed of Him before our friends here. We do not know just when Jesus will come to take us to Heaven; but when we see certain things happening we know the time is near, and it is important that we be ready.

      We are as precious jewels in the sight of Jesus if we stand true to Him; and some of these days He is coming to take all His precious jewels to Heaven. No one wants to miss the joy of being with Jesus. The Bible says, “Little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1John 2:28).

Ashamed of Jesus,

I never, I never will be,

For Jesus my Saviour

Is not ashamed of me.

Ashamed of Jesus! That dear Friend

On whom my hopes of Heaven depend!

No, when I blush, be this my shame,

That I no more revere His name.