Backed up to the Cloud and Searched Until Found
Luke 15:8-10 [NKJV] 8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds [it]? 9 "And when she has found [it], she calls [her] friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' 10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
This evening I spent some time being as frantic as that woman must have been.
Earlier this week I finished tonight’s blog, translated it into Spanish and even created the graphic in both English and Spanish. All I needed to do was post tonight. I congratulated myself on working ahead.
Hebrews 6:10 [NIV] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Except that my computer upgraded itself last night and the blog is gone. So is the blog I wrote for last week, which has been posted and could be recovered from the Website.
So, I did the computer search equivalent of “sweeping and searching carefully” through files and folders and even the Cloud Drive. Nope. Gone.
And I wondered, “How would the story have ended if she didn’t find her coin? What would she do then?” Well, this is not one of those “Choose Your Own Ending” novels. She found her item of value. But I did not find mine.
Lesson learned. Don’t just hit save frequently, which did not, in fact save my blog from the back up that chose an earlier version of my blog document. Go ahead and back up to the cloud (which I have not been doing).
There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only one plan = God’s plan, which He laid out before the world began. Titus 1:2 [KJV] In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only on name by which we can be saved = the name of Jesus Christ. John 3:18 [KJV] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
There is no backup plan for salvation. There is only one Good Shepherd whom we must follow. John 10:14, 27 [NKJV] "I am the good shepherd; and I know My [sheep], and am known by My own.” 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
When I could not find my blog, I gave up and started this one. Hopefully, I will be able to recreate the one intended for this week, based on 1 John 3:24. But I was too disappointed and sad (maybe a little mad at myself too) to restart that one tonight.
I gave up searching and just gave into the fact that it was irrevocably lost.
The good news, sweet sisters, is that One and Only Good Shepherd never gives up. If we are lost, He will never stop searching until He finds us.
Luke 15:4-7 [NKJV] 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 "And when he has found [it], he lays [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 "And when he comes home, he calls together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
Let us rejoice that we will always be found by our Good Shepherd. And we can rejoice with the angels in that fact.
One more thing to rejoice about regarding backups: Your good deeds are backed up to the Spiritual Cloud, filed in God’ memory, where it will never be lost.
Hebrews 6:10 [NIV] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Take that, Microsoft Update!
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org