To truly be found, we must first see that we are indeed lost.   ~~~   We don’t like to think of ourselves as poor and needy do we? We want to be in control of our destiny, strong, independent, care free, righteous even and good. If we’re honest we like to stay away from the poor and needy. The truth is, none are righteous, none of us are good, apart from Jesus. Go spend some time in Romans chapter 3. Even at our best, we still can’t measure up. That’s why we so desperately NEED Jesus. We are all sinners. We all fall short. There but for the grace of God go ANY of us. We are all prodigals in a way. We run from truth, we run from accountability, discipline and run ultimately from the love of the Father. We squander what we’ve been so freely given all while pointing fingers of judgment at everyone else. Time and time again the Father’s unfailing love pursues us, leads us to repentance and welcomes us back to His arms of grace. “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy” is an old hymn written in the 1700’s by Joseph Hart. The lyric goes like this - Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love and power. I will arise and go to Jesus; he will embrace me in his arms; in the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms. Many feel this hymn was inspired by Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. In Luke chapter 15 we see Jesus tell three parables and each one in different ways deliver the same truth: God loves the lost. There is the parable of the lost sheep, a lost silver coin and a lost son. The Father is represented in each parable and does not rest until what was lost is found. Luke 15:4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Jesus told these stories to a crowd of tax collectors and sinners. They drew near to Him because they wanted to hear. Also in the crowd were Pharisees and scribes. They weren’t around Jesus to draw near and hear, they were around Jesus to judge and complain about everyone else. How dare Jesus welcome and even eat with these poor and needy sinners. What these religious elites failed to recognize is that they too were just as sinful and lost without Jesus. Their pride in believing they could be good enough to reach God is what ultimately separated them from the Father who was running after them. In Luke 19:10 Jesus made His mission and purpose clear as he was once again about to have a meal with sinners, he replied, “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” To truly be found, we must first see that we are indeed lost. Only then will we arise and go to Jesus because it’s in that moment we understand our great need for a savior. That’s the truth. Arise and go to Jesus. He’s waiting with open arms. I’m Lori Cline.