Updated on Thurs, July 26, 2012 at 09:47 a.m. (EST) & 07:17 p.m. (IST),  JULY 2012 Edition

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“Lord Offers Salvation Today! (L.O.S.T)

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
And I, the Messiah came to save the lost. If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine others safe at home! Just so, it is not my Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:12-14)

Observations:
I asked myself why did the Messiah come?
The Messiah came to save the lost.

Interpretation:
I asked myself what does it mean to be lost?
What came to my mind is not finding the right pathway to our destination. What also came to my mind is wandering away like a runaway.

Interpretation:
I asked myself what is the connection between being a runaway and being lost?

People runaway for different reasons mostly because they feel a sense of abandonment or they could be in pain for the things that have been occurring where they are at. In essence they become lost become at that moment they are charting unknown territory. Runaway does not just deal with the physical aspect but there is also the psychological aspect of running away.

When people runaway, they usually get lost especially if they keep running w/o seeing the direction they are going or what vehicle they get into.

Interpretation:
I asked myself why do people get lost?

It can be so easy for people to get lost when they wander away on their own or decide to do their own things. People occupy themselves with so many things that they do not have to deal with the pain of the hurts that have occurred in their life. For many the easy solution becomes to runaway from addressing those problems. But this running away does not have to be a physical running away but it can also be psychological, emotional, mental, and most of all spiritual where people try to runaway from dealing with issues. This in essence makes them lost.

Observations:
I asked myself how does Jesus address the lost?
Jesus uses the example of a sheep by stating,
"If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine others safe at home! Just so, it is not my Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish."

Implications:
I asked myself, what are the implications for my own life?

Even if the Lord has 99 followers of Him who continue to love Him so much and desire to do His will, his mind will be on me if I go my own way and do my own thing being lost to the things of the Lord. Instead of being happy about the 99, He still has, He will be focused on me when I go my own way and do my own thing doing everything He could to bring me back to Him. Thanks so much for your love Oh Lord. Just as Jesus is not complacent and happy with those He already has, I should not be content if I know 100 brothers or sisters that follow Jesus but 1 gets lost thinking, there are still 99. Instead, I should make every effort to bring back the lost into the fold as I depend on the Lord Jesus. The 99 is just an example but is not limited to 99. The point is that just as Jesus came to save the lost, my purpose and mission should be to save the lost instead of being so comfortable in my church, small group, etc with those like me. Anyone can do that. The challenge is what Jesus poses to look after the lost. I can do that by helping people examine their spiritual condition for that condition can only have two diagnosis: Being lost or being found. If we are trapped in sin, then we are lost but if we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we are found and there is rejoicing in Heaven. Thank you Jesus!

I ask you now dear friend, what hope is there for the lost in life?
Dear friend, this passage really excites me because I see that the hope rests in the Messiah and what He came to do. He came to seek, serve, and save the lost.
Saving brings to mind 'a sense of being rescued and delivered'. It is being rescued and delivered from the pain and hurt. It is being rescued and delivered from the emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual damage with the effect being people getting lost. More than anything it is being delivered from the eternal death.

I saw Jesus speaking about humanity and what humans do even if they have 100 sheep and one gets lost. He reminds the audience that the person is troubled even though he has 99 with him because that one sheep is lost. That one sheep becomes more valuable and important to look for and protect at that moment. So we hear Jesus continue to tell the audience that the shepherd will go to search for that lost sheep. The key word is 'search'.

Reading that word made an impact on me because it is not just looking for the sheep and saying, 'Oh, well I tried, at least I have the 99 other sheep to look after.' No, rather the shepherd makes a frantic search even hiking into the hills to search for the sheep.

If you ever did a search for anything on the internet, you know how many different things you may have had to sift through until you found what you are looking for. That could have been the same with the shepherd when he had to go through different places to find that lost sheep.

It is significant to remember that Jesus is talking about an animal here. Jesus makes that point to say how a human being would search for a lost animal that belongs to him/her even if they have other animals.

It is the same thing with pets. I used to have a wonderful cat that was lost and I would search everywhere for it including different neighborhoods. When the cat was found, there was so much joy.

When children are lost physically, there is a frantic search for them by parents and the community.  Now if human beings search that hard for animals and their own children, it was comforting to know how much more the Lord Jesus would seek and search out for the lost souls.

The Lord is our Creator and loves us so much. Maybe you never experienced love as God's love is because at home, work, and places you have been at, it has been based on works, works, and works more than love, faith, and hope.

But now Jesus wants to be your Good Shepherd and seeks after you not to harm you but to help you.

 Jesus says to you, "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy, but my purpose is to give life in all its fullness." (Read John 10 for God's role as your Good Shepherd)

It was exciting for me to know that no matter how long we have been a runaway and lost, others may forget about us and think we are a lost cause but not the LORD JESUS CHRIST. No matter where we have been, what we have done, His love can reach the deepest wounds and bring healing.

Those who feel the closest may hurt you so badly that your memories have no mercy. It would be easy to runaway from the pain but the Lord Jesus searches to save you and redeem you. He wants you to give Him all your pain and hurt. No matter how lost you may feel, you are never out of His love and you are never out of His reach.

I have heard people tell me they left the Christian community which affected their faith not because they did not believe in Jesus anymore, but because how shocked and how hurt they were when people who were supposed to be Christians, hurt them so badly that they blamed it on God. You know, I was able to understand where they were coming from because boy have I been there.

It is God's unfathomable love reaching me in a personal way that kept me going. No human being's words could take away the pain that happened in my life when I was removed from a particular ministry position.

As I wallowed in pain, I was reminded of the dream the Lord gave me. In that dream, I saw that everything I ever worked for and put most of my energy in to help people in ministry, Satan coming and making it crumble like a demolition bomb. All I could do is be in utter shock and disbelief as I looked at what happened.

Then, I muttered, 'Jesus help me', as I looked to Heaven while the damage was happening next to me. In that moment, I saw the face of Jesus and He started building it back right up and then I saw Satan flee being injured and a trail of blood.'

What came to my mind is that Jesus' cleansing blood bringing restoration and healing in my life! Satan could not be there with the power of Christ's cleansing blood bringing healing.

If you are feeling lost, it may not be the same what I have been through but that does not change the fact that the Lord wants to save you too and help you. Let Him have all your pain, anger, bitterness and let Him bring healing into your life. He came to seek and save those that are lost.

More than anything, Jesus wants to give you Eternal Life and bring spiritual healing into your life. He died on the cross and shed His Blood so that you can be free from the bondage of sin and death. This sin is so dangerous that it will forever make us lose our soul if we let it captivate us. However, thanks be to God, that He does not want that to happen to you or me. Thank you Jesus. I praise you Lord!

Jesus paid the price with His own blood so you can have a transfusion where His blood can cover our sins and make us clean. It is a kind of Heavenly dialysis. It is not enough to give your life to Jesus here and there but it has to be constant acknowledging only He can give you a life that will free you from being lost. Then, you will be covered in His precious blood daily living a life of abundant living in the Lord. Thank you Jesus!

Friend, what would happen if someone on dialysis would skip their dialysis?

They would become sick and eventually die of illness. Chandra and my mommy understand dialysis so much because Chandra worked as  dialysis nurse and my mommy took care of our beloved dad when he was on dialysis before going to the Lord. This was all physical dialysis. But Jesus wants us to go beyond the physical and give us a spiritual dialysis.

Jesus wants  to be our Great Physician daily giving us a daily dialysis of His love and His blood to cover us so we can be healed and be saved. He does not want us to perish. For that to happen, we need to give ourselves to Him and allow Him to perform the dialysis of change in our lives so our spiritual being can be nourished ! This way He can daily take the garbage out of us and clean us His wonderful way transforming us by His sanctification. Thank you Jesus! The main difference between His spiritual dialysis and a physical dialysis is that once Jesus cleans us by His blood, we will forever be cleaned. We just need to acknowledge His blood is the only way to save us daily and no other means. Thank you so much Jesus!

Only Jesus alone can provide you the right pathway to abundant living. There maybe many pathways to your home address but when it comes to Heaven, there is only One pathway and it can only be found in Christ. That is why He came to seek, serve, search, and save the lost like you and me.

If you have never given your life to the Lord Jesus or have given your life to the Lord but wandered away doing your own thing, you have hope in Jesus Christ. He loves you so much and wants you to be found in Him. Yes, He does friend! Come as you are and find your hope, faith, and love in Him. Let your daily walk be with Jesus Christ for being found in Him is a daily walk with the Lord that can help us  not to get lost.

The wonderful thing about Heavenly dialysis is that it is free and by grace. There is nothing that you can do to earn it. It is a gift that the Lord has decided to give you whether you have insurance or not. But, you have to accept that gift so you can be freed from the power of sin and death. He wants to deliver you from your hopelessness.

Won't you come to Jesus as you are now and give your life to Him and trust in Him to take care of you? 

He waits to receive you friend. There will be joy in heaven!

"Lord Offers Salvation Today! (L.O.S.T)"/"What hope is there for the L.O.S.T in life?"

Make this your prayer friend and mean it in your heart asking Jesus to come reign in your life:

Dear Jesus, I heard that you came to save the lost. You know the times I have felt lost and have been lost. There have been times I have felt that I had no direction and everything seemed so helpless and messy. Yet, I know though I wanted to runaway from my problems because I did not want to deal with the pain, you did not want that to happen. Thank you so much! You came to search and seek the lost such as me. I do not know much about you but you want to save me. You love me so much that I heard that you died for me to cleanse me with your cleansing blood. You came to give me a transfusion. I am a sinner Lord and I need that transfusion you want to give me. Please Lord put me on your Heavenly dialysis where you will be with me daily through the days and clean my mess on the inside no matter how much it accumulates each day or night. You can take all the garbage out and fill me with your love. I want that Lord so please come and clean me daily. I know you won't force yourself into my life so I open the door of my heart to you and ask you to come and live in me. Take my pain and redeem me. I acknowledge that I am lost spiritually and in other ways that only you can save me. Come into my heart and please make my heart your home starting this moment and I will live for you and serve you as I depend on you to help me. Thank you for saving me by your grace. Oh how I need you Lord in my life. You are my only hope. I need you. There is so much baggage only you can clear, so I surrender my life over to you. Take me as I am and work in my life. Thank you Jesus at this moment I belong to you as I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for saving me, healing me, and answering my prayer. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, Holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help by His grace alone. May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

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2012 DEVOTIONALS:

Mark 4:22-23: "What happens to a sin you C.O.N.C.E.A.L in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 25, 12, 07:23 a.m.)

John 15:18-21: 'Is it better for you to experience H.A.T.E or love, why or why not?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 24, 12, 01:01 p.m.)

John 10:14-16: "Who will you make your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 19, 12, 06:03 a.m.)

John 15:10-14: "What does it mean to remain in the V.I.N.E always?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 18, 12, 10:13 a.m.)

Matthew 18:21-22: "What stipulation do you put to F.O.R.G.I.V.E. someone?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 17, 12, 09:17 a.m.)

Philippians 4:20-23: "How do you see F.A.T.H.E.R in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 13, 12, 07:39 a.m.)

Philippians 4:19: "What are your N.E.E.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 12, 12, 08:51 a.m.)

Philippians 4:15-18: "Who will you F.I.N.A.N.C.E in ministry?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 11, 12, 05:42 a.m.)

Philippians 4:14: "How do you S.H.A.R.E in others troubles?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 10, 12, 08:30 a.m.)

Philippians 4:12-13: "Where do you need S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 09, 12, 08:59 a.m.)

Mark 5:24b-29: "Where do you need F.R.E.E.D.O.M to move on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 07, 12, 10:43 a.m.)

Philippians 4:10: "Why show C.O.N.C.E.R.N for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 03, 12, 09:18 a.m.)

Philippians 4:9b: "How do you know your P.E.A.C.E is real?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 02, 12, 08:33 a.m.)

Philippians 4:9a: "What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 30, 12, 09:58 a.m.)

Philippians 4:8: What is your T.H.I.N.K.I.N.G based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 30, 12, 09:56 a.m.)

Philippians 4:6-7: "How do you handle A.N.X.I.E.T.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 28, 12, 08:05 a.m.)

Philippians 4:5: "What measure of G.E.N.T.L.E.N.E.S.S do you have?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 27, 12, 08:57 a.m.)

Philippians 4:4: "When do you R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 26, 12, 09:26 a.m.)

Philippians 4:3: "How have you C.A.M.P.A.I.G.N.E.D for Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 25, 12, 08:58 a.m.)

Philippians 4:2: "How do you respond to a P.L.E.A.D in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 23, 12, 10:45 a.m.)

Philippians 4:1: "Where do you S.T.A.N.D on love in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 23, 12, 10:40 a.m.)

Philippians 3:20-21: "What C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P should you desire the most?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 21, 12, 07:28 a.m.)

Philippians 3:18-19: "Why shed T.E.A.R.S for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 20, 12, 08:37 a.m.)

Philippians 3:15-17: "Who or what are you willing to P.A.T.T.E.R.N your life after?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 19, 12, 07:30 a.m.)

Philippians 3:12-14: "How can you deal with the P.A.S.T in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 18, 12, 11:43 a.m.)

Philippians 3:1-11: "Why for R.E.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N do you need the transaction of the cross?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 16, 12, 8:57 a.m.)

Philippians 2:25-30: "When will your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begin?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 15, 12, 6:43 a.m.)

Philippians 2:19-24: "How can you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y well in other people's lives?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 12, 8:18 a.m.)

Philippians 2:17-18: "How do you live out your F.A.I.T.H in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 13, 12, 6:58 a.m.)

Philippians 2:14-16:
"How is your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R. in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 12, 12, 8:15 a.m.)

Philippians 2:13: "How do you W.O.R.K out your Salvation?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 11, 12, 8:36 a.m.)

Philippians 2:12-13:"What path have you taken for S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 09, 7:50 a.m.)

Philippians 2:12-13: "What is the point of O.B.E.D.I.E.N.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 08, 7:51 a.m.)

Philippians 2:9-11:"How do you handle the N.A.M.E of Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 08, 7:47 a.m.)

Philippians 2:8: "Why should you make a C.R.O.S.S transaction in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 06, 7:26 a.m.)

Philiippians 2:5-7: "How do match Jesus' A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 05, 9:09 a.m.)

Philippians 2:3-4: "How do you respond to C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 03, 6:19 a.m.)

Philippians 2:1-2: "What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 02, 6:52 a.m.)

Philippians 1:29-30: "How do you handle S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (June, 01, 6:52 a.m.)

Philippians 1:27-28:"How do you C.O.N.D.U.C.T yourself in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 31, 12, 7:32 a.m.)

Philippians 1:22-26: What are your C.H.O.I.C.E.S based on?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 30, 12, 6:27 a.m.)

Philippians 1:21: "Why D.I.E for Christ?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 29, 12, 4:59 a.m.)

Philippians 1:20: "Where do you need to have C.O.U.R.A.G.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 25, 12, 8:08 a.m.)

Philippians 1:19:"Who do you C.A.L.L often in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 24, 12, 8:32 a.m.)

Philippians 1:19: "What reason do you have to R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 22, 12, 8:21 a.m.)

Philippians 1:15-18: "How are your M.O.T.I.V.E.S in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 22, 12, 8:21 a.m.)

Philippians 1:13-14:"What have your C.H.A.I.N.S done to others in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 21, 12, 9:04 a.m.)

Philippians 1:12:  "How can you feel so S.P.E.C.I.A.L when things are going so wrong in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 18, 12, 8:20 a.m.)

Philippians 1:9-11: "What is your L.O.V.I.N.G response in life based on?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 18, 12, 8:20 a.m.)

Philippians 1:8:   "How can your A.F.F.E.C.T.I.O.N grow towards others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 17, 12, 6:32 a.m.)

Philippians 1:7: "Why cannot you be saved by G.R.A.C.E. alone?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 16, 12, 9:55 a.m.)

Philippians 1:6: "Where are you C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 15, 12, 10:54 a.m.)

Philippians 1:3-6: "How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 14, 12, 08:38 a.m.)

Philippians 1:3: "How will others R.E.A.C.T towards God when they remember you?" (May 11, 12, 09:53 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Philippians 1:1-2: "When do you B.L.E.S.S others in life?" (May 09, 12, 7:30 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Philippians 1:1: "Why bother to let others T.R.A.I.N you when you are already a leader?" (May 10, 12, 9:01 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Philippians 1:1: "Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of being a sinner?" (May 08, 12, 8:05 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Philippians 1:1: Who will you be a S.L.A.V.E to in life? (May 07, 12, 7:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

 

 

 
   
 

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