“One Year Bible” New Testament Passage
Luke 15:1-32
I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7 (NKJV)
It is always important when we can get a glimpse of God’s heart. It is good to do the will of God. It is fantastic to hear the Word of God. It is beneficial to understand the plans of God. But is of highest value to know the heart of God.
What gives our God the greatest pleasure? What causes heaven to rock with joy? The answer shows us much about God’s perspective on our world and our predicament.
Conventional wisdom teaches us that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” According to this perspective, we would rejoice over those who are wise enough and good enough to not need deliverance or restoration. They avoided the pitfalls and walked the straight and narrow.
God sees our world from a completely different point of view. By His estimation, we all are in deepest need of forgiveness and reconciliation. His work in this world is not the gathering and refinement of the holy. His work is a RESCUE MISSION aimed at the dying.
Such redemptive action lies at the heart of our God. It is the heart of Jesus. It is the message of the Cross.