How the Lost Got Lost
Luke 15:4-10 contains two parables explaining how much God loves us. Our faith is not meant to be built on our works or our own understanding, but rather on God’s relentless pursuit of us. We have a relationship with our Creator not because we sought Him out, but because He is always pursuing us. From the moment we were born, there has been no sin too great, no distance we could run that would discourage God from loving us. We cannot let our sin and failures get in the way of running to the open arms of our heavenly Father.
A Lovesick Father
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…” (Isaiah 53:6) God is waiting for us to repent and come to him. He will not give up on us or shut us out. His love is so great that he will welcome us back and forgive us. The grace and love our God shows us is illustrated in “The Prodigal Son” where Jesus paints a picture of a loving father who openly and happily welcomed his wayward son back into his home. He never stopped longing for his son and never gave up hope that he would return. Aren’t we fortunate that we worship a God who won’t give up on us?
Reckless
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…” (Isaiah 53:6) God is waiting for us to repent and come to him. He will not give up on us or shut us out. His love is so great that he will welcome us back and forgive us. The grace and love our God shows us is illustrated in “The Prodigal Son” where Jesus paints a picture of a loving father who openly and happily welcomed his wayward son back into his home. He never stopped longing for his son and never gave up hope that he would return. Aren’t we fortunate that we worship a God who won’t give up on us?
Lost at Home
There are three characters in the story Jesus told about the prodigal son. Parents can certainly relate to the father’s unconditional love. Most of us can relate to the younger son, who made a mess of his life and wanted to come home. But the older son is sometimes forgotten and that may have been his problem. He did things right, which usually doesn’t attract much attention. It really bothered him when his brother got attention that seemed undeserved. Our sense of fairness can get in the way of our desire to reach lost people. But that’s our mission.