“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.” Luke 15:20b God’s love for each of us is out of this world! I mean it is so much more than we can really describe or even imagine. In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells us a story that should help us understand just how much the Father loves us. In that story we have a son who has literally chosen to walk away from his father forever. In essence, his father was dead to him. That is, until he came to his senses. The reality of the harshness of life set in so drastically, that the scriptures say that he “came to his senses.” He came to his senses and realized that back home was a father who always loved him, and he had traded that love for a cruel world. So he made his way back home hoping that at least his father would allow him to live as a servant with him. This is where we get a taste of the love of our Father. In the story the father sees him from a long way off. He couldn’t possibly know him from a long way off, that is unless he watched him closely when he left and loved him so much that he could tell his walk, his mannerisms everything about him from miles off. That’s how God knows us. He knows everything about us, and loves us so much. Then the Father gets up and runs to his son. His son knew he deserved nothing, but yet the Father restored him into the family, no questions asked! By the Blood of Jesus, we are restored into the Father’s family as well. No questions asked! Why? Because He loves us that much!! Hear me today dear friends. Why would we want to continue to pursue the junk of this world, and eventually find only hurt and disappointment, when we have a loving Father in heaven who is anxiously waiting for us to come home? O what manner of love is this? Well, it is the one and only Love of God! Nothing else compares, and He is waiting on each of us. I hope today, we will all come to our senses and come home to the Father!!
(Editor’s Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week. The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)