The Father's Love

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:20-21)

Looking up at the distant star in the cold night sky, God seemed like He was a million miles away from me...

You ever feel like that?

Fortunately, we know by God's Word that He is not a million miles away from us. He lives inside every one of us who have placed our faith in Him. The Bible says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

But in our own weakness, suffering, and sinfulness, and because we live in a fallen world, overrun by an Enemy who is constantly coming against us; who only comes to steal, kill and destroy: we are often made to feel like God is far off and distant.

But God never leaves us or forsakes us. He promises not to:

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses,  so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

God reassures His people all throughout the Bible. And that is because He knows we need His reassurance. We are told repeatedly to be strong and courageous. To trust in the Lord. He is our refuge. Our strength. Our defender. He will be with us. He will not leave us here as orphans. He will send us a Comforter. He will come back for us. He loves us.

Jesus said:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

God never leaves us. He never walks away.

But we can walk away from Him.

We separate ourselves from Him and from His protection when we choose to sin against Him. When we 'return to the vomit' and roll around in it like like a polar bear rolls around in a stinking whale carcass, God lets us follow after our lustful appetites and wallow in the slime. 

“As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

“But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22)

It was our choice to walk away from Him and dive into the deep end of the sin pool—not God's.

Sometimes we're just like the prodigal son, who walked away, to waste his life and inheritance in sin:

“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Luke 15:13)

Over the last twenty years, I can't count how many times I've walked away from God by choosing to sin against Him. By squandering my inheritance in riotous living. By returning to the vomit.

Many times I have played the prodigal, and had to confess:

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son."

But has He cast me away?

     —Fortunately for me, no, He has not.

How did God as my Father respond to me?  In the same way He did to the prodigal son in Scripture:

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

We are not yet capable of fully comprehending the depth, the height, and the fullness of the Father's love, grace, mercy and compassion that He has for us, and has already demonstrated, by sending His Son Jesus to go to the Cross for our sins.

As I was standing outside last night looking at that distant star, God reminded me of His great love for me, and I thanked Him and praised His name. And that star actually got brighter.

Taking my mind off my aches, pains and problems, and being thankful to God for all things—especially for the free gift of salvation, is the key to living a joy-filled life. No, it does not make those pains and problems magically go away, but they seem very insignificant, in the Light of God's Glory and Grace.

But that's not the end of the story of the prodigal son.

Even though his father ran out to meet him and was glad to see him, and kissed him, he still had really blown it. I mean, there has to be some serious repercussions for his sins. He did waste his inheritance after all.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:22-24)

This is God's grace! This is His mercy! It's counter-intuitive to our way of thinking.

And if that doesn't blow your mind enough, check out this amazing promise from God to us sinful Gentiles:

“Even to them I will give in My house, and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 56:5)

A place in God's House—"BETTER than that of sons and daughters?!"

Can you even begin to wrap your head around that?

Seattle Pastor, Mark Driscoll, said it accurately, when he exclaimed about God: "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Wow...  I don't get this kind of love! It's just too much for me to comprehend!

But I accept the free gift.

I cannot begin to comprehend such amazing love.

But I receive it, freely.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) 

©Mark Faulkner 2013 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marriage-Miracles-Love-Never-Fails/164504593592774