Carl DeLine

Confirmation: Assignment #11

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Confirming the Faith: Salvation

Somehow in the rush of all that is called life “living” is getting lost. Somehow, in the rush of all the daily activities of life it seems what is really important gets repackaged and often fails to give true meaning.

Religion has gone in that direction. We are bombarded with religious ideas and words. Because of all this “spiritual” stimulation it becomes easier to just walk away.

This is the religious world I am a part of. Yet the words of Jesus run through my mind… “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Mt. 18:11)

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story about a shepherd who had 100 sheep. One strayed. The shepherd left the 99 and went in search of the one that was lost.

He also tells the story of a lady who had 10 coins. She lost one. She searched until she found the lost coin.

As I read these stories I ask myself, “what do I have that is so important to me that I would feel a sense of urgency to go look for it?” As I continue to read these stories of Jesus I am then confronted by the story of a young man that wanted to go out on his own. He was confident he could make it without his family. He asked his father for his inheritance. He got it, then he left. In the “rush” of life he lost his direction. The story went on.

I believe it is in the remaining part of this story that one can understand the value of the first two stories. A lost sheep is compared to people who go astray. The lost coin that was found is compared to the value of a person being found. Then the picture of a young man choosing his own way and getting entangled in everything around him ties the message all together. The sheep was saved. The coin was saved. The young man was saved.

In this lesson, take time to answer the following questions:

1. Tell the story of something you once lost and kept looking for until it was found.

2. Tell the story of a time when a friend or family member got lost and how that affected you.

3. Tell the story of what it means for you to value something so much that you want to save it.

4. Tell the story of when you realized that like the sheep, like the coin, and like the young man, you came to know that you were experiencing a sense of separation from God. You discovered that even though you were lost you came to understand that you were a person of value to God. Tell how you felt when you realized that God wants to be a part of your life. Tell how that experience is real to you.

5. Tell what it means to be saved.