Hello my loves!! It is officially my FAVORITE season, FALL!! I love the smells, sounds, colors, and let’s not forget the fashion!! I am always excited when this season is approaching and I am always in anticipation of the AMAZING feeling it brings me. Can you feel my excitement??!! Kinda like the excitement of when you feel something is just for you. Imagine someone baking a cake just for you. Maybe someone bought a special gift just for you. Could it be that a person may feel that you were made just for them? Those things give us ALL the good feelings. This month we are going to talk about the relentless love of God and how it is specific to us individually. He loves us all in a unique way. Isn’t that amazing!! Let’s get into it!

In the Word, we have found that Jesus was a storyteller. You ever met someone that could tell a story so well? That was Jesus, He often used illustrations called parables to communicate to others. The parable we will focus on is found in Matthew 15:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7. I am going to use the scriptures in Luke from The Message version for reference. It says: “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.” This speaks of how God loves us. Even in moments or seasons that we stray away, He draws us back with His loving-kindness. It speaks to His joy of us coming back or someone coming into the knowledge of His goodness and being accepted into the kingdom.

Initially, you may say, sooo you gonna leave 99 sheep in the wilderness that were clearly following their master to look for one sheep that only had one job?? I thought the same thing at first glance, however we have all been that sheep, are that sheep, or sometimes think of being that sheep again. Following God is not always appealing or fun. If you think so, He apparently hasn’t asked you to do something you didn’t want to do. Maybe He hasn’t held you to a standard because of what He called you to do or steward, or asked you to sacrifice something. There are moments that I have wanted to leave the group and go do ratchet things! If you say you haven’t, meet me at the altar! But it all comes down to one thing, LOVE. The love He has JUST FOR ME! I cannot testify about what he has done for, with, and through you. However, I do know who He is in my life, and I am soooo grateful that he left the 99 for me!!

John 3:16 is a very popular passage. The New Living Translation says: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” This is how God loved the world, that part!! A pure, unfiltered love that is given to us if we believe, before we even had an opportunity to believe. A love that was specialized just for us, when He found us and brought us back to our family in the kingdom. Just like a good parent loves all of their children, but understands that they have different needs and cannot be loved the same way–God knows that some of us need more attention and care. Some of us may be more self-sufficient, but He still lets us know that He is there to guide us. He knows our needs before we do and knows how to give that customized care! Gives me chills!

But this love is not just for us to keep!! Nooooo, when we love someone or when someone loves us, we wanna tell EVERYBODY!!! This is how we must be with the love of God. This is how we keep drawing sheep. I will be the first to tell you that I am not called to be an Evangelist. I will nurture you when you come, but I am not usually the one to actually come get you! BUT, we can draw others with our personality, we can draw others when they see something in us and can’t put their finger on it, (which is the Holy Spirit in us), we can draw them by living our lives and showing the Fruit of the Spirit. No one said you had to be operating in all of them at all times, sis! We don’t have to be perfect to receive this love or to show it to someone else. Use what you have and what you know in this moment.

This was just a PSA to remind us of His unfailing, relentless, beautiful love for us and how we should always be willing to share that love with those that may not know Him as we do. Freely we give, freely we receive. It is so good to feel those moments where we know God is showing off with His love for us, but imagine how He feels when someone comes to know Him by how we love on them. We all can contribute to the call He has for all of our lives which is to minister to others and share the Good News of His word. He is His word.

Father, we thank you for your love, sacrifice, and commitment to love us when we feel we are unloveable. We thank you for lavishing us with love and celebration as your children. We ask that you give us the capacity to show that same love to others. Remind us of the grace you give us so that we are reminded to give that same grace to others. Forgive us for keeping that love and grace to ourselves and help us to share your Good News. Give us the wisdom to use our opportunities to glorify you. We will rejoice when we bring others into the knowledge of your love, grace, and mercy because we know how it impacts our lives. We love you, praise you, and adore you. Amen.