The Lost $20

A few days ago someone gave me a $20 bill. At the time I was talking with some people so I placed the money in my pocket. A few hours later I began to take everything out of my pocket in order to put the money in my wallet, where I had a few other $20 bills. When I emptied out my pockets the $20 bill was gone. I searched and searched but I couldn't find it anywhere. A few hours later a friend came up to me and said " I found this $20 bill on the ground by the door. Did someone lose it?' 

When I received the money back I was actually more excited than when I had received it the first time. Later that night in my normal Bible reading I happened to be on Luke 15, which has the story of Jesus leaving to 99 to find the one lost sheep, the woman who searches for the lost coin, and the prodigal son. When I saw these stories I suddenly understood.

There are a few learning lessons in the stories. The first is that there is more joy in things that are redeemed, found, or restored than in things that were never lost. God is in the redeeming and restoring business so if you have an area of life that is not going well it is going to be even more exciting when it is restored. 

The other learning lesson is that in each of the parables a theme is repentance. Repentance is making a change, or having a change of heart. God is in the redeeming and restoring business but our part is to repent and change. God gives us time and change in the world because he loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. It gives him joy when we change for the good.