A Long Way From Home

Posted by Dion Todd October 23rd, 2017 7,807 Views 0 Comments

He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.' Luke 15:20 WEB

Jesus once told a parable that became known as "The Prodigal Son." It is about a young man who grew tired of waiting on his father to die, and demanded his inheritance early. Graciously the father gave it to him. The son immediately left and blew all the money on 'riotous living' and prostitutes. When the money was all gone and his friends with it, he ended up working on a pig farm.

While at rock bottom, he "came to his senses" and decided to go home and work for his father as a servant. He felt that he was no longer worthy to be called a son. When the father saw him coming down the road, he ran out to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him before the son could even say a word.

The father placed the best robe on him, a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet. Then he held a feast to celebrate his son coming back home. The father in the parable was not interested in the long sad story that the son had put together for him. The only thing that mattered was that his son was now safely back home.

When we stumble we often act like this son. We hang our head down, feeling that we are no longer worthy to be His child, no longer worthy to pray, or even attend church. We stop talking to Him, withdraw, and give up on the plans that God had for our life. All the while, God is waiting with open arms for us to return.

You are His child and the moment that you turn back to God, He comes to meet you with open arms. You do not have a lot of explaining to do, for He understands. He is happy to have you back with Him again. He will restore you completely as His child, and His plan for your life will resume as soon as you ready.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I so thank You for Your gracious mercy. You are so good to me and I just want to know You even more. Help me learn to follow You closer and keep me from becoming distracted, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: Happy Monday! The highlighted group of the week is Healthful Living: this group is for those who would like to support each other in building good habits for healthful living, not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually! The group is a safe place to talk about issues that challenge us, to share what we have learned, to encourage each other when we fall and to celebrate our victories! ALSO, the Creation Photographers fun theme is "Blessings Abound", based on Psalm 1:1-3! As always, you are free to post anything else that inspires you, too! FINALLY, for those following along with our RHM Bible Study, the newest installment is available, covering Luke Chapter Seven. For links to all of these areas and more, please see the Announcements at the top of our home page here: Announcements}

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