the promise that he had not. May these words from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah remind you that God has not forgotten you either. Jer 31:20 20 Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. In the New Testament there is a wonderful story that Jesus told of a Father waiting for a prodigal son to come home. The prodigal son had been gone for many years and had wasted all his money. Starving to death and lonely he decided to go back home. Here is the welcome he received from his waiting father:
Luke 15:20-21 20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
son or daughter that is lost. Jesus showed us God’s reaction to a prodigal coming home when he told us the story of the father running to his lost son. The father was filled with compassion and ran to the son. The text says, He had compassion, which included an awareness of what the boy would face as he makes his way back home. The father then runs to him. The father could have let the son come to him, that would have been more logical in that culture but he was willing to receive the wayward son by showing his desire to see him. As Kenneth Bailey writes:
experiencing the ruthless hostility he deserves and anticipates, the son witnesses the unexpected, the visible demonstration of love in humiliation. The father's acts replace speech. There are no words of acceptance and welcome. The love expressed is too profound for words. Only acts will do.1
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. If you are away from your heavenly father please know that he awaits your return. Pastor Boyd D. Brooks 1. Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes, (Grand Rapids MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1992), 182. |
A woman went to a pet store to buy a parrot to have some company. The next day however, she returned the parrot to the store. “This parrot hasn’t said one word yet,” said the woman. “Did you give it a mirror,” asked the storekeeper. “Parrots love to see themselves in the mirror”, he added. The next day she was back again with the same story that the parrot still had not spoken. “Did you give it a ladder?” “Parrots love to go up and down ladders,” he said. The third day the women returned even angrier because the parrot hadn’t talked. The shopkeeper now perplexed asked, “try giving it a swing, parrots love to swing.” The next day the women came back with the news that the parrot had died. The shopkeeper asked, “did the parrot say anything before it died?” “Yes, it did,” she replied. The parrot said, “Do they not sell any food in that store you go to?” |
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Thought To Ponder
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