I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men’. So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (vv. 18-20)
God’s love for you is unconditional!
This parable is usually called The Prodigal Son, but some people call it The Parable of the Father’s Heart. That is a good name for it, because Jesus used this parable to show people how He feels toward those people who are rejected by the self-righteous (see vv. 28-30).
Do you feel that you have sinned and offended God to such an extent that you cannot approach Him, that He does not want to see you? That is how the son in this parable felt. But when he finally decided to come back to his father, he found his father waiting for him with open arms. As soon as his father saw him returning, his father took off running to meet him.
Even if you feel “a long way off”, as soon as you turn back to God in your life, He is running to meet you, with embraces and kisses to welcome you back!
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