Christians rejoice in the grace of adoption as children of our Heavenly Father, members of the Body of His Only Begotten Son. Paul the Apostle proclaimed to the Corinthians that by receiving the Holy Spirit of God, the Christian’s nature becomes a temple of God. We cease to be our own and become God’s. Having been purchased at a great price, we now belong fully to God, called to reflect His image in the world (1 Corinthians 6.19–20 and 7.23).
Indeed, Jesus instructs his disciples to emulate the exemplary and courageous shepherd, his most authentic representation, who came to rescue the stray sheep.
Following the example of our Teacher, we must diligently rescue even the smallest crumb that falls from the table of God. For even the smallest crumb of goodness, though fallen far, still carries the Creator’s power—a power that hasn’t diminished or lost its distinctiveness. With utmost care, we must gather this crumb, treating it as if it were the pupil of our own eye, until the Word of God sprouts from that very soil.
God’s eternal election–His choosing us before our earthly life began–reveals the depth of His love and purpose for us. (Isaiah 49.1,5 and Galatians 1.15). Through this election, the Heavenly Father has ordained us as mediators, destined to disseminate His righteousness in accordance with His New Covenant (Isaiah 42.5–6).
This ordination has its direct origin in the creative power of God and embodies His own glory, a glory and honor that belongs to Him alone (Isaiah 42:8). As faithful images of the Heavenly Father’s Only Begotten Son, we must unite with the salvific economy of our Lord Jesus and gather every identity that bears the wounds of evil. We must allow the fringes of our being to overflow with the mercies of divine forgiveness and carry these individuals on our shoulders to bring them home.
We must become faithful disciples of God’s eternal goodness so that our good deeds can inspire others and illuminate them with the same goodness. Through faith in the radiant Covenant of God, we are nourished with the goodness of our Redeemer. This light, a beacon of salvation from the tyranny of darkness, unites all human paths and guides us toward our ultimate goal and sanctuary.
We haven’t placed our trust in human strength (Psalm 20:7). Even when we walk in the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), we do not fall, for the Lord is our Shepherd and His name ignites a holy fire within us.
