Morning Devotional

November 5, 2004
"The Prodigal (Part 5)"

by Don Emmitte

Home

"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, `At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”’ So he returned home to his father. And while he 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.”  (Luke 15:17-20 NLT).

The emphasized text in our reading this morning is the reason why this parable is more aptly named “the Parable of the Loving Father.” The message really centers on the actions of the father more than the sons.

While we have been looking at the parable this week, we have already seen four things:

§         Lostness is a hopeless state of being.

§         Lost people often know they are lost.

§         Lost people want a way to come home.

§         Lost people must take the first step.

Today we see the most wonderful truth of all! Lost people are received with open arms into the Kingdom of God! The Father wants you to come home!

Notice that Jesus recalls for us that the father saw the son coming “while he was still a long distance away.” I am convinced that he could see his son coming because he was looking for him. That sounds elementary, but it is important. Remember yesterday I said that we needed to take a step toward the gift God has proffered toward us. Because of the nature of God’s character and grace, that step is not much more than a mere “twitch” toward home. A glance toward home, a turn toward the father, catches his eye because he is longing and looking for us to come home.

There’s another interesting note in the parable. I don’t read that the father made his younger son clean up; even though he had to be stinking dirty by now. I don’t read where he first made the boy pay back the money he had squandered. He didn’t ask him to obey certain rules or to go through classes. He just opened his arms and lovingly kissed and welcomed his son!

Where are you at today? Are you living all the life God would have you to live? Are you lost, or if someone looked at your life right now, even though you may have entered a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at some point in your life, would they see a heart that is far from who God wants you to be? Regardless of where you are, regardless of where you have been, or who you are, no matter what your lifestyle is today, the Father is waiting for you to come home. He has been waiting. Won’t you come home? Won’t you let Him welcome you back? Won’t you take that first step to receive the grace and love of our Father?