“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.”

Luke 15:20

We all can remember the times we have messed up. When we fall short, hurt someone knowingly, and even sin intentionally. In our failures, our conscience is always ready to condemn us and fill our minds with guilt and shame. In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son purposefully requests that the father impart to him his inheritance. This is like saying to his father, “I wish you were dead already so I can enjoy my appointed lot.” The father willfully gave his son what he had requested without any resistance. So, the younger son decided to leave his home and live out his life as he pleased until all his resources ran out. When he exhausted all his inheritance in disgraceful living, the younger son found himself working for someone in the country as a pig feeder. It came to the point that he longed to fill his hunger with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything to eat. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So, he got up and went to his father.

The story states that while he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, which is a surprise since in Jewish tradition, the person who was wronged usually waits for the perpetrator to come and ask for forgiveness first. Instead, the father’s reckless love caused him to throw his arms around him and kiss him. The embrace and kiss of the father mean he has already forgiven and accepted the return of his son, despite his condition, and even before his son even begged to be forgiven. Like the father in the parable, your heavenly Father desires to embrace you and show you how much he has always loved you, no matter where you have been, what you have done, or what you have become. In God’s eyes, you are always His beloved son or daughter. This is because when God sees you, He sees what His beloved son, Jesus, has already done for you at the cross of Calvary to remove all of the sins you will ever commit in your life.

Do you know what caused the son to truly repent of all the sins he had committed against his father? It was after his father lavished him with his love and acceptance. The father’s love and compassion caused his son to repent – acknowledge his sins, shortcomings, and failures. The father did not even mention a single word about his son’s failures, nor condemn him or impute a single drop of guilt to his wayward son. Our conscience, by default, condemns us when we fall short of the standard God set for us. The only thing that can appease this self-condemning and guilt-producing conscience in ourselves is to accept by faith the finished work of Christ, who has freely given His very own righteousness to us according to His marvelous work of grace in our lives. It is purely the grace of God that reminds you that you are always loved by your Abba Father, and nothing can ever change that. As with the father’s desire to restore everything to his younger son who has returned to him, it is the pleasure of your heavenly Father to restore to you everything that you are destined to possess in the very first place. The position and authority of your sonship and daughtership in His eternal kingdom.

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:31

This Devotional is from:

“Live The New You – 365 Days Devotional in Living the Real You”