The God of joy - the lost coin

    In Luke 15:8-9, we read the story of a woman who had ten silver coins. She unfortunately lost one of them. She consequently lights a lamp, sweeps the house and begins a diligent and desperate search for that coin. When she finally finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours telling them to rejoice because she had found her lost coin. 
    To understand her desperate search, you have to understand the significance and value of that coin. One might say that she had only lost one, she still had nine more. But that wasn’t how she saw it. For one thing, the coin she lost was called a drachma, a silver coin equivalent to a Roman denarii and whose value was equivalent to a day’s wage. Yet, for a woman in that culture it carried even greater value. Traditionally, a woman was given ten silver coins as a wedding gift. These she would sew into a headband or necklace. It was pretty much like a wedding ring and was a symbol of the woman’s marital status and security. Finding that coin was therefore of great importance to that woman.
    Have you ever lost something of great value? To what lengths did you go to find it? I think many of us know what it’s like to suffer loss of some kind. It may be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the loss of an item of value. In this story, the context points to God’s love for us and His diligent pursuit of us. Before coming into a relationship with Him, God diligently pursues us desiring a relationship He knows will bring a sense of worth and security we so desperately desire. Even when we reject Him, even when we don’t desire Him, that does not stop Him from reaching out earnestly to us. 
    I remember a number of years ago, when I had moved away from my relationship with God, I realised somewhere along the way, that God still loved me and wanted me to come back into a right relationship with Him. Even when it was difficult for me to make that step myself, God was more than willing and able to help me find my way back to Him. But can I tell you, God was not the only one who rejoiced when I rededicated my life to Him? I too experienced joy. The Bible talks about the angels in heaven rejoicing when one sinner comes to repentance (Luke 15:10). That tells me that God loves us so much, He is excited when we make that step to commit or even recommit our lives to Him! Imagine that! The God of the universe is excited when we choose to serve Him! We may feel so insignificant, even invisible before this great God but God does not see us as invisible or unimportant. He loves us that much!
    But, as I said, I too, experienced joy. I had been experiencing so much depression at times because of moving away from Him that when I returned to Him and He welcomed me with open arms, I guess it overwhelmed me. God loved me even though I had not been faithful to Him. God loved me even though I had chosen other gods over Him. He. loved. me. I couldn’t and still can’t do a thing to change that and neither can you. That in itself is a source of joy. 
    So, I encourage you today to choose the God that is a guaranteed source of joy. Just knowing that He would choose you over and over again should make you feel encouraged and secure in His love for you.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God would go to any lengths to reach us and to bring us into a secure place in Him. He is still the source of our joy no matter what life sends our way. Be encouraged.​

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