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We are to Work with Christ to Save the Lost, September
27
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my
sheep which was lost.
Luke 15:6
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When Jesus spoke these words, He was talking to a company, many of
whom knew by experience what a shepherd’s life is in Palestine. There the
flocks are not kept in level, inclosed pastures, but on the hill-sides, among
crags and precipices....
There was always the danger from robbers and wolves to be guarded
against. Sometimes a sheep would stray away from the flock; so they were
frequently numbered to see that none were lost, for the shepherd must give
a strict account of all the sheep under his care.... The shepherd’s life is one
full of peril. If he is a trustworthy shepherd, he will not be careless and
study his own ease, but he will search for the straying sheep amid storm
and tempest....
This is the way the true Shepherd treats the lost sinner. He goes after
him; He does not hesitate at peril, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. He is
intent upon bringing the sin-burdened soul to repentance, to salvation, to
peace, rest, and happiness in his Saviour’s love. And it is the privilege of
every one who has experienced the love of Jesus in his own heart, to think
if there is not some one whom he can by personal effort, by studied tact
and kindness, bring to Jesus, who is ready and willing to accept all who
will come to Him. We can all do much through personal effort. We can be
laborers with Jesus Christ
Life is serious. You have a large field in which to work; and persevering
search for the lost sheep will be the most successful way in which you
can employ your time.... If you can exert a saving influence over one soul,
remember there is joy in heaven over the one that repented.... You may,
by judicious effort, be the means of bringing back the lost sheep to Jesus’
fold
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65
The Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1886
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66
The Youth’s Instructor, May 4, 1886
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286