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Proverbs 15:3 (NIV):
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
Does it surprise you that the Lord watches over the wicked and the good? Well, you should not be surprised. Just as God watched over us before we became believers, God watches over those who are still blinded by sin. Where they cannot see that no one and nothing in this world is better than God.
Ezekiel 18:23 (NIV) states: Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
God gets no joy from lives that are being lived outside of Him. God wants people to turn away from the wickedness of their lives. God wants people to repent, and to turn to Him and be saved. Therein does God delight.
Matthew 18:13-14 (NIV) states: And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Make no mistake, God’s seeking after the sheep – the one – that is lost in Matthew 18:14 in no way means that the other ninety-nine are outside of God’s eyesight. God is omnipresent. God is everywhere, always. The one that wandered off, as well as the ninety-nine who continue in faith in God, are never outside of God’s watchful eye.
Knowing that God keeps watch over the wicked and the good should remind us of God’s love. It should remind us that God desires that the lost repent and be saved.
Now, take a moment and consider your heart towards the lost. If it helps, start by personalizing it to those in your own family. Are you at all concerned that they may die, having never chosen to have a new life in Jesus Christ?
We must remember that, just as God loved us and wanted us to be drawn to Him, God wants the same for those who are, in this moment, still living lives away from Him.
May we all have a heart for the lost. Whether the lost are in our families. In our workplaces. In our communities. May we all have a heart for the lost, no matter where they are in the world.
May we all want what God wants. That is, that the lost repent, turn from their wicked ways, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) states: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domains.
