He Left The 99 For Me

The song, “Reckless Love”, by Cory Asbury is one of my favorite songs. It’s fantastic. It’s so good. If you haven’t listened to it, please do yourself a favor and listen to it! Better yet, head over to Amazon and buy the CD because I think you’re going to love it as much as I do.

God created everything. Sure.

He created me. Yeah.

He loves me. Yes.

The Bible tells me that He sent His one and only Son to die for me. We know this.

The earth was created. Adam and Eve. Sin. Noah. The Flood. A Rainbow. Mary & Joseph. Jesus. The Cross. The Tomb. Resurrection.

Here I am today.

That’s really all there is to the story, right?

One day I’ll go to Heaven, so there’s that.

Whoa.

No, I think I missed something.

The relationship. The intimacy. Don’t think I am taking any emphasis off of the entire seamless story that is so intricately woven from the beginning of creation right through to the work on the cross, but I am saying there is a living God who desires intimacy with us, with me, who is still seeking out and running after His children.

The Reckless Love song brings me to a stand still. Literally. I pause when I hear this song and really think about the words and I ask you to do the same. I’m going to put the lyrics below because I want you to read them and really take a moment to think about them. Now I do want to add something before moving on.  I love to listen to it but I don’t listen to it a lot. Not because I don’t love it, because I LOVE IT, but because at the heart of worship I need to focus on Jesus, because it’s about Him and I know my fickle heart – when I hear this song I tend to start thinking too much, too highly of myself, and I am NOT worthy. Not. one. stinking. single. bit. And because of that prideful little heart of mine, I don’t want to start listening to this song too much and need someone to take me down a peg or two, you know – by thinking that I’m so great of a person that He pursues me and there’s nothing He wouldn’t do to get to me. I know that He won’t stop at anything to get to me, but it’s not because of anything I’ve done, it’s just because He’s so good. I am royalty. I am an heir to my Father, but I’m also a royal screw up. So there’s that.

Reckless Love

Written by Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, and Ran Jackson

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me. You have been so, so good to me

Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me. You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me. You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me. You have been so, so kind to me. There’s no shadow You won’t light up

Mountain You won’t climb up. Coming after me. There’s no wall You won’t kick down. Lie You won’t tear down. Coming after me

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God is love. He knew me before I was born. God is so good. God gives me breath. God is kind. God’s love is powerful and unfailing. God doesn’t give up on His children. There’s nothing we can do to earn His love, mercy and grace. God provided the ultimate sacrifice for me, through His son, Jesus Christ, and even after that most precious sacrifice (*GIFT*) when I can’t expect or ask anything more of Him, I do and He is so gracious to freely give of Himself. He loves me still. He knows how selfish I am. He knows every mistake I’ve made and every selfish decision I’ll make in the future but He’s already forgiven me and I can go to Him no matter how ashamed I am or embarrassed I am. I can go to Him when I’m scared to death or when I’m over the moon excited and happy and can’t wait to tell Daddy “thank you” and tell Him about how great things are. He’s always there, always here. If I begin to stray, He disciplines me – because that’s what a good, loving Father does. He keeps coming back for me. He’s never going to leave me.

Climate Change. Infertility. Chronic Illness. Financial Problems. Divorce. Addictions. Natural Disasters. Poverty. War. Death. The thing is that all brokeness is the result of sin; everyone and everything feels it. The future is so unclear to me because I don’t have a birdseye view but I know that no matter what I run from – as long as I know who I’m running to, I’ll be okay. I screw up constantly. Every single day. But no matter what I end up doing, no matter what trials or triumphs come my way, no matter what failures there are, that’s where He’s going to meet me. He’s not going to stop.

There will be consequences for the mistakes I make (sin) and when I mess things up so bad that there won’t be a light at the end of the tunnel – He is the light. If I end up breaking promises – He won’t break His promises to me. His love has no limit. His mercies are new every morning and before the day is half way gone, that’s when His forgiving has only begun.

He left the 99. Wow.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?”

Matthew 18:12, NLT

“I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.”

Psalm 119:176

“And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”

Matthew 18:13

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”

Luke 15:4