Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Father’s Love for His Children
Our text is about the parable of the lost son. The son wasn’t lost in the sense of location, but he was lost relative to his sense of family, his sense of responsibility, and his sense of salvation. The bible says in Luke 15:17 that when he came to his senses, he began to reflect on the position he had and the position he was in. Today let us reflect on the position we had and the position we’re in; let us reflect on the position in the Kingdom of God. In the beginning, God created man and gave man dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth. That’s the position we had. But the position that we’re in today is one of lack, lost, left out, left behind, stress, worry, frustration and hesitation, and struggle.
But the good news is that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. The good news is that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think. But in order for the commands and decrees of God to be effective in our lives we must be in the family. For that reason, if you’re in a place of isolation, desolation, or frustration, then it’s time to declare to God, I’m hurt, but I’m coming home.
God desires that we desire to come home to Him. The Bible says that the father agreed to divide the wealth between his sons. The younger son’s share was 1/3 while the older sons share was 2/3. The younger son tells his father I want my share of the estate now, instead of waiting until you die. He wanted what he was entitled to earlier than he was supposed to receive it. Does this sound familiar? Our eagerness to “have it now” causes us to be blinded to what God is trying to do in the way of preparation and separation. God is trying to prepare us to receive the new while he separates us from the old. And just like God, the father, said okay. He didn’t argue, didn’t debate, didn’t delay. He just agreed. God allows us to go through certain things just so that we can learn what happens if we Wait upon the Lord.
The bible says that when the son finally came to his senses, he said to himself, “At home even the hired men have enough to eat and here I am dying of hunger.” He didn’t come to his senses while the money was there and the living was good. He didn’t come to his senses while everything was flowing. He came to his senses in the midst of his mess. This is a good reminder for us today. God will not leave us while we are in our mess. He’s still trying to work it out. We need to connect with one another the way that God connects with us. The bible says that when the younger son came to his senses, he thought about what it was like at home, and decided he would go home and apologize to his father and declare his unworthiness. In other words he was hurt, but he was going home.
While the son was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. As the story goes the father prepared a feast not because his son had returned, but because his son was once dead but now had come back to life. What an example of a father’s love.
Our heavenly Father desires that we come back home. He knows that we’re hurting, but He says come back home. Where we’ve been, what we’ve done, has served to make us who we are. Come back home to the arms of a loving, all-knowing, forgiving Father.
Scripture of the Day: "When he came to his senses, he said, how many of my father’s hired men have good to spare and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: father I have sinned against heaven and you." - Luke 15:17-18
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment