My scripture studies article “He Was Lost, and is Found: Luke 15; 17.” Quote from the opening paragraph:
“Some of the most nourishing and healing stories that span all cultures are those that speak of wandering souls finding their way home, the hero discovering his true identity, and the royal celebration at finding the kingdom. I begin this article with a pearl from Luke 17:21, “The kingdom of God is within you.” This pearl of great price will be the crux of this entire article and the centerpiece of all of the truths to be discussed here. Indeed, this pearl is full of marvelous truths. Consider—each of us is on the mortal journey, seeking with great diligence to find the kingdom of God, to return home from whence we came. We are as lost strangers, sojourners in the wilderness, “our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out” (Jacob 7:26). But in reality we are not lost. We are not cast out from the kingdom of God. Indeed, as we learn in the Gospel of Luke the kingdom of God is among us, around us and within us. We are home, for God is with us, if we but recognize Him in our lives and let the power of His kingdom live through us. When we realize that the kingdom of God is within us, we are then no longer lost, but are found.”
