But the Greatest of these is…LOVE

The Parable of the Lost Coin

Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

I recently lost a “silver coin”.  No, not a real coin; but something precious to me, just the same.  Our dog went missing.  He (Champ) is a Jack-a-bea (Jack Russell Terrier and Beagle mix) and I just love him to pieces!  He is such a sweetie!  But, being the mix that he is, he loves to get in the woods behind our house and chase rabbits, squirrels, and such.  One day he was off chasing things, and then he didn’t come back home.  I was worried the first day, but as the days stretched into almost a week, I was more than worried; I was really upset!  I had printed out flyers with his picture on them, and my sister and I tacked them up places.  But, we heard no word of Champ’s location.  My husband, son,and I were all taking turns going out in the neighborhood looking for him, calling for him, but, no luck.  My faith that I had held onto that Champ was ok began to wane, but, my love for him would not let me give up!  One day, when I was out looking for him, God brought to mind ICor. 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  I think I understand why the Lord put it the way that He did.  If I had been relying only on faith or hope, I would have given up.  However, it was my LOVE for Champ that kept me looking; it kept my faith alive.  LOVE was the “third leg” of the three-legged stool of Faith, Hope, and Love.  LOVE propped up the other two components of Faith and Hope.  I thought of Christ, as He prayed in the garden “Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  Perhaps it was His LOVE for us, AND for the Father, that helped Him to be able to follow through with what He KNEW was going to be a very painful, humiliating, heart-breaking act.  Maybe his LOVE, not only for us, but for the Father, and Christ’s burning desire to please the Father, to always do His Will, strengthed His Faith that it would all be worth it, that it would all work out as it should.  I don’t know; but one day, when I get to Heaven, I hope to ask Him! 

As for Champ, I kept thinking of the passage Luke 15:8.  How the woman lost the silver coin, and lit the house, looking high and low for it.  All over.  Under everything.  She swept.  She called her friends and neighbors to help her look.  And when the coin was found, she called everyone together to help her rejoice!  She was so excited to find her coin!!!   We did the same thing.  We called our friends and neighbors to let them know Champ was missing.  I made flyers.  I put a post on my facebook page, and freinds added it to theirs, also.  And as for Champ…?

Well, one day, almost a week after he first left, we were told that a dog that looked alot like Champ was seen in a fenced in yard on the other side of the large wooded area where we live.  My husband went to check it out and, sure enough, it was Champ!  I was so excited to see him!!!  He was excited to see us, too!!  And, yes, we called and posted on facebook that we had found Champ!  And I thanked God, for pointing us in the right direction of our “lost coin”…

“Heavenly Father, help me to always remember how precious are the blessings you have granted to me.  Thank you for bringing Champ home safely.  And thank you for LOVE…the LOVE that you give to us, and the LOVE that propels you to always have our best interest in the center of Your Will.  Amen.”