Little Lost Lamb

Bible Reading: Matthew 18:11; Luke 15:4-7

“Mom!” Nia ran into the kitchen. “My lamb is gone! I’m sure I latched the door after I fed him, but it’s open now and Wooly is gone.”

“Oh dear,” said Mom. “Well, we’d better go look for him.”

They started off, calling Wooly’s name as they searched the ditch and fields along the road. “Look,” Nia said as they approached a house not far from their own. “Mr. and Mrs. Harris are working in their garden. Let’s ask if they’ve seen Wooly.” Mom nodded, and they headed over to ask if anyone had seen the lamb.

“No, we haven’t seen him,” said Mrs. Harris, “but we’ll help you look for him.” So she and her husband joined the search, leaving their work unfinished.

Mr. Harris was the one who finally found Wooly behind a neighbor’s barn, and Nia happily took her lamb home. After making sure he couldn’t get out again, she went to thank Mr. and Mrs. Harris for their help.

“I’m sorry you had to leave the work you were doing,” Nia said. “Can I help you finish it?”

“No, no, we’ll finish it tomorrow,” said Mrs. Harris. “I’m just glad we were able to find your lost sheep.”

Mr. Harris nodded. “Nia, do you remember the parable Jesus told about lost sheep? The pastor talked about it at church last week.”

“Yeah,” said Nia. “The shepherd left all the sheep that were safe and went out to search for one little lamb that was missing.”

“That’s right,” said Mr. Harris. “And did you know that people are like lost lambs?”

Nia nodded. “And Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He left heaven and gave His life to find us and save us.”

“Right again,” said Mr. Harris. “I hope our search for Wooly will help us remember we were all lost sheep once, and we should never be too busy to hunt for other lost sheep—other people who don’t know Jesus.”

Nia was thoughtful. “I have a new friend at school who doesn’t know Jesus. That means she’s just as lost as Wooly was. I’m going to ask Jesus to help me tell her about Him so she can be found, just like I was!”

“Good for you,” said Mrs. Harris. “We’ll be praying for her too—and for you.” – Nancy I. Merical

How About You?

Do you know any lost sheep? Anyone who doesn’t know Jesus is lost—lost in sin. But there’s good news! Jesus came to find and save the lost. He found you when you put your faith in Him, and He wants you to point other lost sheep to Him so they can be found too. You can do that by praying for them and sharing what Jesus has done for you. Do all you can to help bring others to Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse: Matthew 18:14 It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Tell others about Jesus