Joy Over One

Read: Luke 15:1-10

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. --- Luke 15:10

The Bible In One Year:
Jeremiah 24-26
Titus 2

Many Christians have succumbed to the false notion that their witness to one individual doesn't count for much. But that certainly isn't supported by what we read in the Gospels. Even though Jesus' public ministry was limited to a little more than 3 years, He was never too busy to deal with one person at a time.

It's true that Jesus preached to multitudes in Judea, fed 5,000 people gathered by the Sea of Galilee, and ministered to the large crowds in Capernaum. Yet He never lost sight of the value of one soul!

We are encouraged when we read of His conversation at night with one man named Nicodemus [John 3]; of His visit with one woman at a well in Samaria [John 4]; and of His personal interest in one man named Zacchaeus, who had climbed up into a sycamore tree to get a better look at the Lord [Luke 19]. How thrilled he must have been when Jesus singled him out of the multitude and said, "Zachaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house" [v.5].

If you are ever tempted to minimize the value of your personal, individual witness to a single soul, remember Jesus' example. The Bible says there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. --- Richard De Haan

The One who made the heavens,
Who died on Calvary,
Rejoices with His angels
When one soul is set free. --- Fasick

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF A SINGLE SOUL.