(Luke 15:20)
If we could ever truly understand the heart of our heavenly Father, we would never treat sinners like lepers. Jesus told a story that can give us a glimpse of that heart. It's the story we call the prodigal son.
Its my guess you might have heard it many times, how the son rebelled and dishonored his father, and how the father, in spite of it all, received him home with joy when he repented. But there's one sentence in it I want to draw your attention to. It's this one: "But when he [the prodigal son] was yet a long way off, his father saw him."
This sentence gives such a profound glimpse of the heart of the father. It tells us that even before the boy had repented, even during those long days when he was living in sin,the father was watching for him, longing for him to come home.
Every morning he scanned the horizon, hoping to see a glimpse of his son. And the last thing at night he would look again, straining his eyes to see. His son was constantly in his thoughts, and his heart was so full of love for him, that on the day his son came home, the father ran to him and kissed him.
That is the kind of heart our heavenly Father has for those who are lost. It's the kind of heart He had for us while we were still wandering in the world. It's the kind of heart that opened up to us and embraced us while we were still in sin.
There are many weary people out there who haven't yet found that embrace. They're more than just "sinners," they're our potential brothers...lost ones in desperate need of a loving heavenly Father. May He help us to start looking out for them and welcoming them home.
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