In review of Luke 15:20 it says, “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Bottom Line:
God forgives and we welcome you back into his family with open arms.
What this means to me:
Like this Son, I too had wandered off on my own, spending what I had on my own desires. However God got my attention and I came back to Him. I’m certain that God also had compassion on me and welcomed me back.
Today's passage comes from Luke 15, the parable of the lost son. As I've seen from the two prior parables, God is keenly interested in bringing the lost back to him. When the lost son decided to humble himself, ask for forgiveness, and return, the father welcomed him with excitement and open arms.
Also in the two previous parables, we see a seeker actively looking for the coin and the sheep, both of which could not return on their own. In this third parable the father was watching and waiting. He was dealing with a human with a will of his own, however he was ready to greet the son if he returned. In the same way, God's love is constant, patient and welcoming. He will search for and give anyone the opportunity to respond, but he will never force someone to come to him. Like the father in this parable, God also waits patiently for us to come to our senses.
In the first two parables, the sheep became lost because it foolishly wandered away; the coin was lost through no fault of it's own; and the son left out of selfishness. God's great love reaches out and finds us sinners no matter why or how we get lost.
Interestingly enough the prodigal son went out in search of something more wonderful than what they already had, only to find it to be an enormous disappointment, much like the “grass is always greener” syndrome. Many including myself often lose sight of what really matters. So we set off to search the world over, only to find that what we yearn for was right in our own backyard all along.
I can use the parable of the prodigal son to remind myself of anytime I tell God I have a better idea for my life, or that I want to follow my own path instead of the one He has painstakingly designed just for me.
Today can be the day I give up my pursuit for something else out there (for me today, this would be a hope for a newer work role to find significance in) and return home and receive the gifts my Father has reserved just for me. He is patiently waiting for me to stop wandering through the far country and come to Him so He can bless me with abundance I cannot contain.
God will let me wander as long as my heart desires. Perhaps I should realize how tired I am of doing things my way and go home.
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