The story of the prodigal son is ageless, first told by Jesus when he was describing God’s unconditional love for his children. The one thing I love about this story is how it demonstrates God’s love towards us no matter how bad we’ve messed up.
Many times, we misjudge God’s attitude towards us, thinking he’s frustrated, mad or disappointed with us because we’ve messed up or sinned. No, he’s not. Jesus was punished in our place. God no longer sees us in our sin. If we have Christ in our heart, he sees Jesus in us. He sees us righteous and holy. He sees us as his child. We are loving wrapped up in God’s arms and cherished by him.
“God says He will accept us and acquit us—declare us ‘not guilty’—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like” (Romans 3:22 LB).
Today, in Christ, you are acceptable, pleasing and passionately pursued by your Father.
I want to share with you a short film called “Long Journey Home”. The short, 7-minute film is a modern-day version of the prodigal son. You can watch it online here:
Disillusioned with the family business, a young man is seduced by life’s pleasures only to find the costs far greater than he realized. Thus begins the Long Journey Home, a story about a father’s unconditional love for his son and a son’s quest for forgiveness.
Please take a moment to share your comments on this blog post so that we can hear your thoughts on the film.
Prayer: Father, there are times I feel like the prodigal son, away from you living my own life. I am sorry. I need you desperately. I know you are running to meet me, because of your unconditional love towards me. Father, help me this week to truly know what it means to be acceptable to you, to know that you love me for who I am, not for what I do.
