Prodigal who?

Interesting.. I’ve been doing a book study with my discipler and we talked about the prodigals son. We decided, upon looking at it more importantly to look at the prodigals father. That the fact that the son came back..ya ok that’s great but, look at the fathers heart in this whole situation. It blew my mind and I wanted to look further into this! The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them so in verse 12..<--when the son asked the father to give him his share of the inheritance..(WHICH he wasn’t supposed to receive until his father was DEAD) The father gave it to him. The father didn’t fight with him, the father didn’t tell him how stupid it was that he was going to do that. The father knew that He was going to screw up, and probably waste all the money and have nothing… ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. In 15 and 16 When the son had lost all of the things that he wanted He knew he was foolish.. but He was fighting.. 17 “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! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. WOW [[when he came back to his senses]] When he got ahold of himself.. when HE REALIZED.. what He had done was foolish He knew that his father was taking care of the people that worked for him! Even better than He was being taken care of (HE WASN’T) So He knew he had to go to his father!!

-now comes the exciting part-
“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.”!!!!!!!!!!! The father was waiting for him! He was looking for His son! He was waiting and then when he saw him he RAN to his son. Now…the father could have hit the son, or told him what an idiot he was to be gone and waste his money like he did…but he didn’t! That wasn’t the nature of the father. The father loved his son and was beyond excited to see him! (w-o-w)
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’   22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Now look at this!!) When he apologized to his father KNOWING what the father could say to him…the father instead of yelling, or being stern was SO happy that his son was back that he threw a party for him!!

            WHAT A COOL STORY…but more than that it’s exciting to know that Gods love for us is JUST LIKE THAT!! When we walk away from the father.. taking our inheritance and spending it on foolish feelings, lusts, and moments of joy we think will last forever…He is there waiting for us! When we run back to Him he is going to run to us kissing us, thankful that we are back. He isn’t standing there with something to hit us with, he isn’t waiting there ready to yell at us! He is waiting there full of mercy and love ready to show us the blessings and care he has for us.

            So I urge you..next time you are just sitting in your pity of sin, or if you are just feeling like God is a bully…Read the prodigals son story. And think about how much love the father had for the son and how much the father has love for you J