Day 33: June 6Scripture: Luke 15:8-10 Adrian Monk, the character from the USA television series “Monk,” is my hero! Monk has, among other things, an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the result of the tragic murder of his beloved wife, Trudy. Ironically, it is his obsessive-compulsive disorder that makes him such a gifted detective. If the slightest thing is out of place, if something is missing from where it should be, he notices. And, it is this ability that so often enables him to solve the case. When I am obsessing about something, I blame it on my “Inner Monk.” When something is out of place or lost, I cannot rest until it has been found and restored to the place where it belongs. As I read the three stories which Jesus told about lost things, of which the story of the woman with the lost coin is the second, I believe Jesus is trying to tell us that God has an “Inner Monk.” And, the thing that God obsesses about is restoring his lost children to his family. When even one of God’s children is missing, God cannot rest until he or she is safely home. That’s why it is such cause for rejoicing when one sinner repents and is restored to the family of God. My prayer for the Church is that we would get in touch with our “Inner Monk” and become as obsessed with reaching God’s lost children as God is. Prayer: Teach us, O God, to become as obsessed as you are with searching for and finding your lost children, and restoring them to the family of God. Give us no rest until those who are lost have been found. Then, enable us to experience the joy of the widow who called her friends and neighbors together and said, “Rejoice with me!” Amen. Thought for the Day: Jesus chose 12 disciples, fed 5,000 people, but his favorite number is the number “one.” Prayer Focus: Those who live in the communities served by our churches who need to be restored to the family of God. Ralph W. Rowley |