I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning, the 5th of August, 2024, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a Thought for Today.

We start in Luke 5:32:

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Jesus came to save the sinner, not the righteous. He says He came for the sick, not those who are well. Jesus was often found where no self-respecting person would go, and frequently, his disciples would remind him, saying: "Lord, do you know who those people are that you are associating with?" He would say: "Yes, I've come for the lost. For that one lost sheep." Maybe you've got one in your family; perhaps you got a loved one who's drifted off - I want to tell you Jesus will not give up on that lost sheep until it comes home. Luke 15:5 says:

"And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing."

He doesn't just lead it home. He picks it up, puts it on his shoulders and carries it home. Jesus will not give up on your loved one. Jesus will not give up on you; you need to call Him. I can hear someone say: "But it's too late for me." It is never too late, never too late! The Lord loves you; that is why He died for you on the cross of Calvary. He is desperate - He will leave the 99 to go and find the one!

As a farmer, sometimes, when it's calving season, and cows and calves are running all over the place (it's a beautiful sight to see), when we bring the herd home, one little calf is lost. We send the herdsmen out, and they look all over. We get on horseback and go all over the farm, trying to find that lost calf. In the end, in desperation, as the sun is setting, we still can't find it. Do you know what we do? We take its mother, and we let her go. We leave her and let her go. I want to tell you that the mother is standing alone in the field the following day as the sun is coming up. And who is suckling? The baby calf that we could not find. She found it, and I want to tell you that our beloved Jesus is the same. When everybody else gives up on you, He will never give up on you. "Come unto me, all of you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

In my prayer room, where I pray every morning and get this message for you, I have a beautiful painting that a dear friend did. It is a painting of Jesus welcoming a lost sheep home. I also have a beautiful olive wood carving that I got in Israel, depicting the Lord Jesus Christ carrying that lost sheep.

Today, be encouraged! He will not let you go until you are totally brought home; Jesus bless you and goodbye.