8 Either what woman having ten pieces of
silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house,
and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And
when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together,
saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke
15:8-10)
The
Collect
Fourth
Sunday after Trinity
|
O
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GOD, the protector of all that
trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and
multiply upon us thy mercy, that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so
pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal.
Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Parable of the Lost Coin is the second in the trilogy of Parables on lost
things. Unlike a lamb, which has life but limited knowledge and vision, the
lost piece of silver has no feelings or life at all. It is as dead as the Rose
in Winter, but the Rose, at least, has lived once. The coin has NEVER been
alive, but dead for all time. It cannot move itself to find itself, or to even
bleat as a lamb. Wherever it is placed by its Owner, there it remains until the
Owner, or some other, finds it and moves it to another place. Such are the
worldly who have claimed their birthright in Adam and the Fallen Race. Though
the coin may have value (as a soul has eternal value) it has no will to do good
or to improve its state. A sinner, long dead in trespasses and sin, is
incapable of improving his lost condition. He remains helplessly and hopelessly
dead in his sins. His mind is depraved and reprobate. He knows no Lord except
the Dark Angel of Ruin. It is my prayer that all who read this devotion are
motivated by that Holy Ghost that alone is able to bring the sinner to God.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of
silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house,
and seek diligently till she find it? That which is lost is
incapable of finding itself, or it would not be lost. If God has called and
chosen you, it matters not the dirt in which you, as the coin, lie. The Holy
Ghost (Woman) will create the Light necessary to find you, to clean your heart
and soul, and bring you to the Throne of Grace. Though the coin is lost to
self, it is never lost to God if it belongs to God. When the soul is lost, it
may be found in the very dust of which its temple is made after much sweeping
and sifting.
9 And when she hath found it,
she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying,
Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Again, note the subordinating conjunction "WHEN" as opposed to
that of "IF". The Holy Ghost will never fail to find
that coin, or soul, which belongs to God. Though we are "as good as
dead" when lost, we are yet as good as saved according to the prescient
will of God. Those souls that belong to God displease Him sorely until they
have been recovered to their proper ownership in Him. Our sinful deeds
displease Him just as the selfish greed of a dear son or daughter. He may wait
late in the night to hear our footsteps on the foyer to enter into His Grace,
and He will be glad. He will call all of His Hosts of Heaven together in a
celebration of joy at the recovery of that which is lost, yet belongs to Him.
Even if we are lost, we still belong to our Owner as a lost one. Satan may
happily steal away that which belongs to God as a thief if he is able. So every
soul must study to show himself approved of God - Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15)
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is
joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. What a great truth to hang our hopes upon. The
great powers of Heaven are embraced with clouds of joy at the repentance
of only ONE sinner! See? You can make God and Heaven very pleased if you come
home to the place that your soul belongs? You may labor tirelessly to gain
wealth and possessions, and finally give all of those treasures to God; but God
is not happy with material wealth. He needs not possessions of ours for He made
us, owns us, and He owns all that exists under Heaven – so what need has He for
such trifling proofs of man's hands? He NEEDS and desires One thing – our
hearts. If our hearts belong to God, He shall possess all that our minds think,
our hands create, and the treasures of love and gratitude that brim our hearts.
Does God own your heart?
