Losing Jesus (Friday Devotional)

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand

- John 10:27-28

Over the last few years, my family has picked up a small assortment of miniature rubber Jesus figures, some given to us by friends and others picked up as giveaways. So last week, Andrew and Katherine decided it would be fun to hide four of them around the house and then send me and Lindsey on a scavenger hunt.

They hid them well—one on a light switch, another on the fireplace, still another on a wall decoration. But as we ransacked the house for the final Jesus figure, neither Lindsey nor I could find it anywhere. When we asked for a clue, Andrew said he didn’t know where it was either, that Katherine had hidden that one. And when we asked her, she couldn’t remember where she’d put it.

We kept searching, but to no avail. And no matter how hard she tried, Katherine couldn’t recall in what room she’d hidden it. As the minutes crawled by and Lindsey and I prepared to give up, Katherine grew more upset that she couldn’t remember where she’d put it. Finally, in tears, she exclaimed, “I lost Jesus!”

What a nightmare it would be if believers could really do that—not lose a rubber figurine, but lose their relationship with the Lord. Having placed your faith and your hope in Jesus to save you, what a terrifying thought that he might leave you if you step out of line.

After all, that happens sometimes with earthly relationships. Parents get divorced and only one sticks around to help raise the child. Spouses determine their differences are irreconcilable and call it quits. Friends drift apart. Some earthly relationships wind up having a shelf life far shorter than you ever anticipated they would.

But the Lord promises that he never leaves nor forsakes us, and that no one can snatch us out of his hand. Once you follow the call of the Good Shepherd, you are part of his flock—and he will never abandon you to the wolves.

You can lose possessions. You can lose friends. You can even lose family members. But praise God, you can never lose Jesus.