We Are to Go to the Ends of the Earth
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. Luke 15:6.
When Jesus spoke these words, He was talking to a company, many of whom knew by experience what a shepherd's life is in Palestine. There the flocks are not kept in level, inclosed pastures, but on the hill-sides, among crags and precipices....
There was always the danger from robbers and wolves to be guarded against. Sometimes a sheep would stray away from the flock; so they were frequently numbered to see that none were lost, for the shepherd must give a strict account of all the sheep under his care.... The shepherd's life is one full of peril. If he is a trustworthy shepherd, he will not be careless and study his own ease, but he will search for the straying sheep amid storm and tempest....
This is the way the true Shepherd treats the lost sinner. He goes after him; He does not hesitate at peril, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. He is intent upon bringing the sin-burdened soul to repentance, to salvation, to peace, rest, and happiness in his Saviour's love. And it is the privilege of every one who has experienced the love of Jesus in his own heart, to think if there is not some one whom he can by personal effort, by studied tact and kindness, bring to Jesus, who is ready and willing to accept all who will come to Him. We can all do much through personal effort. We can be laborers with Jesus Christ.65The Youth's Instructor, April 28, 1886.
Life is serious. You have a large field in which to work; and persevering search for the lost sheep will be the most successful way in which you can employ your time.... If you can exert a saving influence over one soul, remember there is joy in heaven over the one that repented.... You may, by judicious effort, be the means of bringing back the lost sheep to Jesus’ fold.66The Youth's Instructor, May 4, 1886.
From Sons and Daughters of God - Page 277
Sons and Daughters of God