Monday, December 26, 2011

A Father’s Love

Jesus told this story in Luke 15: 11-31:

“Dad, give me my share of your wealth. I can’t wait till you die. I want it now!” the young boy demanded from his rich father.

The father was very disappointed, but he still loved his son. He divided his estate and gave the younger son his share of the wealth. The older son, on the other hand, was a sensible boy who continued to stay faithfully with his father.

The younger son took all the money and travelled to a far away country to enjoy himself. He lavished himself with prostitutes and wine, together with his friends. He literally wasted the fortune that his father spent years to build.

After wasting all his money, he realized that his friends didn’t want to help him when he had nothing. Famine struck the land. He didn’t have anything at all! Finally, he had to work and take care of pigs!

One day, while he was feeding the pigs, he realized that he didn’t even have the pigs' food to eat! He thought to himself, “Even the servants in my father’s house had enough food to eat!”

That’s when the younger son came to his senses. He went back to his father’s house with shame. With a repentant heart, he went to see his father.

He said wholeheartedly, “Father, I have sinned against God and you. I am not fit to be called your son. Please, I beg you, just take me as one of your lowest servants…”

Yet, before he could finish the speech he memorized in his heart, his father told the servant to bring the best clothes and a ring – to wash him clean and dress him up. He asked the servants to prepare a feast. The father hugged him and was so happy his son came home!

When the older son saw this, he became very upset.

He said, “Dad, all this while I have been a very good son to you. I never disobeyed anything you said. I never wasted any of your money.Yet, this boy comes back after wasting all your money on prostitutes, but you are preparing a celebration for him. You never did anything like this for me, in my whole life!”

But the father replied to the older son, “My dear son, your brother was lost, but now he is found. He was dead, but now he is alive. We should celebrate! All this while you were with me. EVERYTHING that I have, IS ALREADY YOURS!”

This is a father’s love towards his children – both the good ones, and the ones who have messed up.

God is our heavenly Father. Even if we purposely go away from him, He still loves us. He is NOT waiting to punish us. Instead, He still loves us and blesses us. That’s why you see a lot of good things happening to very bad people. Even if we have sinned like the bad son, God is waiting for us to come home. God is so happy when our heart is really changed and we truly regret our mistakes! When we return, He doesn’t treat us like servants. Instead, He accepts us with a CELEBRATION!

That’s why we can go to Heaven in one moment, when we confess our sins to God, change our ways and follow Jesus! Heaven is our Home with God, our Father!

If you are like the good son, you should have the Father’s heart. Everything that God has promised already belongs to you. You have enjoyed the pleasure of being together with our Father. There is nothing to regret or feel jealous towards the bad son.

If you have sinned a lot in your whole life, and in the end, you come back to God after wasting your life with money, sex & wine – God accepts and loves you. IT PROVES HOW MUCH GOD LOVES YOU.

If you have been faithfully obeying God’s commandments and trying to avoid sin, your whole life – remember God already LOVES you so much and is very pleased with you. IT PROVES HOW MUCH YOU LOVE GOD.

JESUS IS OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. HE LOVES US ALL.

Do you LOVE Him?

-JJ-

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