And rising, he came to his father. "Now, at his being afar away, his father perceived him and had compassion, and running, falls on his neck and fondly kisses him. Now the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. No longer am I worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired men.' Yet the father said to his slaves, 'Quick! Bring forth the first robe, and put it on him, and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet. And bring the grain fed calf, and sacrifice it, and eating, we will make merry. For this my son was dead and revives, he was lost and was found.' And they began to make merry.
Lukes Account 15: 18-24, Concordant New Testament
How many times have you felt this way? You are aware in your heart that you have done something which you feel goes against the Lord. You feel the guilt and shame of your actions. Then, you pray, admitting your faults and telling Him that you are a sinner and not worthy of that gift which He has already bestowed upon you through Christ Jesus on the cross. You are not worthy? Have you ever even wondered how it is that the Father feels in these same moments? Has He already decided our punishment? Is He waiting for us to somehow "Make amends" for our actions? Well, neither of these is true in any way. The other day I had a good conversation with one of my Gym Rats on the merits of the parable of the prodigal son spoken by Jesus. Now, it is well known that when Jesus spoke to the people of His day in parables, that He was speaking to them in a way in which they could better understand His message. This parable was no exception. This mans son had taken his inheritance and squandered it on personal pleasures. When the money ran out, he found himself homeless in a strange land. What was his first thought? To return once again to his father, not as a son, but as a servant. In this kids mind, he had sinned with his actions, and he felt as if he somehow was no longer worthy of his fathers love. Sound familiar? But what of his father? Has he forgotten his son for leaving home? No! This boys father has been patiently waiting at home for his sons return. We know this by how it is that he welcomes him home. He is not waiting for the young man to come groveling to him. No, the father RUNS to his son and embraces him! Think of the young mans reaction to this. Here he was prepared to bargain with his father for a hired position on his property. His guilt over his actions must have been tremendous. You.ve been in that young mans shoes, right? You are aware that your actions go against what the Lord has planned for you, and you feel guilty for that. You might even feel as if God could never forgive you for what you have done. But remember this, through all of it the Father has been waiting for you to return to Him. He is waiting to embrace His child.
He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love
First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament
My conversation with my friend meant a lot to me not only because I've been there but because of what I have come to know of the love of the Father. One of the reasons that I have been so critical of the mainstream church is because its misleading message to the Lords children. In fact, if we look at Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, we will see an example of this as well. The reaction of the fathers eldest son to his brothers homecoming speaks volumes. This young man points out that he has remained faithful to his father while his younger brother journeyed far off and wasted his own inheritance. HE had remained faithful. HE deserved his fathers devotion more so than his wayward brother. This smacks of many today in the mainstream church. They pay their tithes. They serve in the church congregation. They are more worthy of Gods attention than that sinner sitting in the back pew. I also believe that Jesus was speaking to this very issue in this parable. And why not? It was also Jesus who berated the Pharisees for their treatment of the people {Matthews Account 23:23-39}. The older brother in this parable spoken by Jesus IS the Pharisees of His day. These Pharisees indeed placed themselves above the "common man." They were the ones who, in their minds, had remained faithful to the Lord. In reality, these Pharisees were the ones who misled the Lords people. Sound familiar? I consider the Pharisees of old and many of our modern day pastors and mainstream church leadership to be cut from the same cloth. While they preach repentance and effort to please the Lord, the Father patiently and lovingly waits for His children to return to Him.
~Scott~
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