THE PRODIGAL SON
LAKE ELSINORE
SACRAMENT MEETING – BISHOPRIC SPEAKING
Bishop Wm. Calvin
Hughes – December 27, 2009
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As a recent
returned missionary (and married within about 45 days of returning), and just
starting our family, I was sitting in Priesthood quorum meeting. The wise teacher asked me, “Which of the two
sons in the Parable of the Prodigal Son represented me most?” Perhaps you have
considered that question as well. With little hesitation, and a little
self-righteousness, I responded that I was definitely the ‘good son’. I had
made few serious mistakes in my life, and pretty much done what I thought I had
been asked to do. It was then that the teacher threw me a curve ball – he said,
“We are ALL the Prodigal Son.” That was somewhat of a reality shock for me.
I’ve thought
about it countless times. I’ve come to realize that it’s true. We have all been
the Prodigal Son at some point in our lives. In fact, we have probably been the
Prodigal Son many times. Think about it – at one time or another:
- We have
all turned and run away from our Father.
- There
have been multiple times when we have thought that we knew better,
rejecting what we knew was right, and followed our own thinking.
- At some
time or other, we’ve asked our Father for something that we haven’t yet
earned or deserved, but expected it none-the-less.
- We have
all squandered undeserved blessings – both material and spiritual – and
were just too immature and unwise to know better.
- And we
have all, at one time or another, returned home – back to the source of
all that is good; back to the source of all love.
- And
when we have returned home, we have experienced our Heavenly Father’s
eagerness to forgive – His easiness to ‘take us back’.
- There
was no consideration as to how foolish we had been; no lecture as to how
much we have wasted; no hesitation about how undeserving we were to
receive His kindness, His forgiveness, His love!
We all do
knucklehead things that we wish we didn’t do. In a moment of weakness, a moment
of silliness, a time when we thought we knew better. All of us have come short of where we should
have been. God knew that we would make
judgment errors, and He provided a way for us to return back home anyway.
The parable
of the Prodigal Son is a reality for many of us. In the journey of life, we
soon realize there are no guarantees as faithful, God-fearing parents. No
matter how hard we strive to teach our children about God and His Word, and no
matter how often we pray for our children to discover Jesus Christ and His
message of salvation, some decide to reject it all! Even in those families
where God is loved, trusted and glorified, children sometimes rebel and run
from their roots! Even in those families
where God is loved, trusted and glorified, sometimes spouses, parents and grandparents
rebel and run and can also be ‘Prodigals’.
Someone
(Barclay) made two observations about this parable which are worthy to note. He
said:
Ø First, it
should never have been called the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”, for the son is
not the hero. And,
Ø Second, it
should be called the “Parable of the Loving Father”, for it tells us more about
a Father's love than a son's sin.
Prodigal Son - A Story from the Old Testament
The story of
the Prodigal Son has been around for thousands of years. In 2 Kings 18:5, we
learn that Hezekiah trusted the Lord more than any other king of Judah. As
such, it's logical to assume that his son, Manasseh, was brought up to love and
trust the Lord. However, when Manasseh became king at the age of 12, he
immediately turned against God and "did evil in the sight of the
Lord" (2 Chronicles 33:2). Manasseh was truly wicked, committing all sorts
of idolatry, sorcery and immorality, including the sacrifice of his own sons to
pagan gods. But later, after Manasseh and the people of Judah had been taken in
chains to Babylon, he finally turned back to the one true God that his father
had taught him about. God heard Manasseh's cry and brought him back to
Jerusalem. After years of rebellion, God was still loving and merciful to
Manasseh, when he finally turned to God and made God a priority in his life.
It’s
interesting that THE WORD ‘PRODIGAL’ IS NOT USED IN THE SCRIPTURES – JUST IN
THE CHAPTER HEADING – that’s a good one to make a mental note of and use the
next time you play Celestial Pursuit!
Prodigal Son - A Story from the New Testament
The Parable
of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke is familiar to most of us. It's the
story of a rebellious son who rejects his father's upbringing. Prideful and
strong, the son heads-off to a far-away land, leads a wild life of adventure,
and squanders everything of value (literally and symbolically –materially and
spiritually). Not until he's confronted with failure and despair, does he
return home, repentant and willing to do anything to win back his father's
favor. To his surprise, and the surprise of others, he's welcomed, without question,
into his father's loving and forgiving arms. No amount of time, no amount of
money, and no amount of rebellion could get in the way of the father's patience
and unconditional love for his son. "For this son of mine was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24). Of course, the
awesome message of this parable is that God is patient and gracious with all of
His children. He is willing to welcome each of us home at any time into His loving and forgiving
arms.
Prodigal Son
- Trust God and His Promise
The road to
God for each Prodigal Son is different. However, as the two stories from the
Old and New Testaments tell us, we should never give up on anyone - no matter
how far away they seem! God NEVER gives up on any of His children! Remember His
promise to those who raise children: "Train up a child in the way he
should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs
22:6). I have often thought that the ‘child’ in this promise was not only
applying to the young of age, but also to those of us that are spiritually
young – late bloomers in spiritual maturity. And that could apply to some that
may be 95 years old!
The purpose
of the parable is to give all of God’s children hope. It is a message of
patience, perseverance and prayer. The Savior tells it as follows:
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the
portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 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.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land;
and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he
sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine
did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy
hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be
merry:
24 For this my son
was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be
merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to
the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed
the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out,
and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve
thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never
gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living
with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have
is thine.
32 It was meet that
we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again; and was lost, and is found (Luke 15:11-32).
Many people
feel that the parable of the prodigal son is the priceless pearl of Jesus’
parables. It is his finest parable. It is the most valuable story he ever
created. Charles Dickens, the great English author, has called it “the greatest
story ever told.” Some say it is the finest short story in literature. Another
poet, Robert Bridges, has judged it as a “flawless piece of art.” Small wonder
that through the centuries, this story has inspired the pen of Rembrandt, the
music of DeBussey, and the poetry of John Masefield. George Buttrick, one of
the greatest preachers of recent past, has said that the story of the prodigal
son captures “the essence of the Christian faith.” This story sums the
central message of the whole New Testament. It is the gospel in a
nutshell. If you truly understand this story… of the father, the prodigal, and
the older brother, you will begin to grasp the central thrust of Jesus and the
main emphasis of the New Testament.
I love what
happens in verse 20 – in fact want to focus the remainder of my remarks on
THREE WORDS in that verse. There are
multiple ways to study scriptures, but sometimes I love to take a word or two
and think on it for a while. I have been
thinking about the three words: “And kissed him.”
There was a
sermon from London, England delivered on the Anniversary of today, December 27,
1891 – 118 years ago TODAY!
"And Kissed Him." (Luke 15:20)
If we had an
1890 Revised Version of the King James Bible, in the margin, referencing the
words from the Parable: “And
kissed him”, we would find that the text there reads, "And kissed him much." It
is my understanding that this is a very good translation of the Greek, which
might bear the meaning, "Kissed him earnestly," or "Kissed him
eagerly," or "Kissed him often." I like that marginal reading of
the Revised Version, "Kissed him much," as it speaks volumes about
the overflowing love of God toward the returning sinner.
The first
word "and"
links the story to all that had gone before. Even though the parable is a very
familiar one, it is full of sacred meaning and always has some fresh lessons
for us. Let us, then, consider what had gone before the Father’s kissing his
Son. On the son's side there was something, and on the father's side much more.
Before the prodigal son received these kisses of love, he had said to himself
in the far country, "I will arise and go to my father." He had,
however, done more than that, else his father's kiss would never have been upon
his cheek. The resolve had become a deed: "He arose, and came to his
father." A bushel
full of resolutions is of small value; a single grain of practice is worth much
more. The determination to return home is good; but it is when the
wandering boy begins the business of really carrying out the good resolve, that
is when he draws near the blessing. If any of you have long been saying,
"I will repent; I will turn to God"; it would be well to leave off
resolving, and come to be determined to practicing! For that is when the blessings will come.
Before the
kisses of love were given, the young man was on his way to his father; but he
would not have reached him unless his father had come the major part of the
way. When we give God and inch, He will give us much more. If we come a little
way to Him, when we are "yet a great way off" He will run to meet us.
I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father certainly saw
him. The eyes of mercy are
quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith are dim
compared with the eye of God's love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees
Him.
I do not
suppose that the prodigal traveled very fast. I should imagine that he came
very slowly— "With heavy heart and downcast eye, with many a sob and many
a sigh."
He was
resolved to come, yet I’m sure he was half afraid. But we read that his father ran. Slow are the
steps of repentance, but swift are the feet of forgiveness. God can run where
we scarcely limp, and if we are limping towards Him, He will run towards us.
These kisses were given in a hurry; the story is narrated in a way that almost
makes us realize that such was the case: there is a sense of haste in the very
wording of it. His father "ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed
him"—kissed him eagerly. He did not delay a moment; for though he was out of breath, he was not
out of love. "He fell on his neck, and kissed him much." There
stood his son ready to confess his sin; therefore did his father kiss him all
the more. The more willing
we are to own our sin, the more willing is God to forgive us. When we make a
clean breast of it, God will soon make a clear record of it. He will wipe out
the sin that we willingly acknowledge and humbly confess before Him. He that
was willing to use his lips for confession, found that his father was willing
to use his lips for kissing him.
See the
contrast. There is the son, scarcely daring to think of embracing his father,
yet his father has scarcely seen him before he has fallen on his neck. The
condescension of God towards penitent sinners is very great. He seems to stoop
from His throne of glory to fall upon the neck of a repentant sinner. God on
the neck of a sinner! What a wonderful picture! If you cannot imagine it, I
hope that you will try to. It applies to us all; and I hope that we can all
realize the individual applicability and wonderfulness of it. When God's arm is
about our neck, and His lips are on our cheek, “kissing us much,” it is then
that we will understand more than sermons or books can ever tell us of His
love.
The father
"saw" his son. There is a great deal in that word, "saw."
He saw who it was; saw where he had come from; saw the swineherd's clothes; saw
the filth upon his hands and feet; saw his rags; saw his penitent look; saw
what he had been; and saw what he was; and even more important – the father saw what his son
would soon be. "His father saw him." Well, God has a way of
seeing men and women that you and I cannot understand. He sees right through us
at a glance, as if we were made of glass; He sees all our past, present and
future. He sees what we
have been, but more important, He sees what we can become.
It says: "When
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him." It was not with cold eyes
that the father looked on his returning son. Love leaped into the father’s
eyes, and as he beheld his son; he "had compassion on him"; that is,
he felt for him. There was no anger in his heart toward his son; he had nothing
but love and longing for his boy, who had got himself into such a sorry
quandary. It was true that it was all his own fault, but that did not come into
his father's mind. It was the state that he was in, his poverty, his degradation,
that pale face was so want with hunger, that touched his father to the quick.
In the same fashion God has compassion on the woes and miseries of us all. We
may have brought our troubles on ourselves, and we have indeed done so; but
nevertheless God has compassion upon us. It is from the Father of Charity that we learn that
“Charity never faileth!"
We read that
the father "ran." The
compassion of God is followed by swift movements. He is slow to anger, but He is
quick to bless. He does not take any time to consider how He shall show His
love to penitent prodigals; that was all done long ago in an eternal covenant.
He has no need to prepare for their return to Him; that was done in the
counsels of heaven. God
comes flying in the greatness of His compassion to help every poor and lost and
penitent soul.
And when the
Father comes, He comes to kiss. One theologist said that, if we had read that
the father had kicked his prodigal son, we might not have been very much
astonished. Well, once we learned that the father in the parable represented
God, we certainly wouldn’t have thought that some punishment or a good tongue
lashing were remotely possible. But still, this son was deserving of all the
rough treatment that some heartless men might have given; and had the story
been that of a selfish human father only, it might have been written that
"as he was coming near, his father ran at him, and kicked him." There
are such fathers in the world, who seem as if they cannot forgive. If he had
kicked him, it would have been no more than he had deserved. But no, what is
written in the parable as told by God’s Son stands true for all time, and for
every sinner,—"He fell on his neck, and kissed him"; He kissed him
eagerly, He kissed him much.
What does
this “much kissing” mean? To me, it signifies that when sinners come to God, He
gives them a loving reception, and a hearty welcome. I testify that is true!
I. First, this much kissing means MUCH
LOVE. It means much love truly felt; for God never gives an expression of
love without an infinite, sincere feeling behind it. Oh, how God loves the
sinner! All of us who repent, and come to Him, will discover how greatly He loves.
In fact, someone once said
that the reason for sin in the world is to allow us to discover just how much
God loves us. There is no measuring the love He bears towards us. He has
loved us before the foundation of the world, and He will love us when time
shall be no more. The immeasurable love of God to sinners who come and cast
themselves upon His mercy!
When his
father kissed him much, the poor prodigal knew, maybe as never before, that his
father loved him. He had no doubt about it; he had a clear perception of it. So
may it be with us also, if we will but return to God through Christ. It shall
be said of you as of this prodigal, "The father saw him, and ran, and fell
on his neck, and kissed him in much love."
II. Secondly, this “much kissing” meant MUCH FORGIVENESS. The
prodigal had many sins to confess; but before he came to explain the details of
them, his father had forgiven him. I love that the Atonement was made BEFORE OUR sin – that the price has
already been paid. What a
remarkable thing that is. What an
absolute blessing in the greatest sense of the word. In many more ways than we
can conceive, we have been and are forgiven, even before our transgressions
happen.
The picture
of this prodigal is marvelously true to OUR experience when we return to God
after being away, perhaps traveling to our Babylon – either physically or
spiritually. His father kissed him with the kiss of forgiveness; and yet, after
that, the young man went on to say, "Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." Likewise, we
should have no hesitation to acknowledge our sin to God. Our Father in Heaven
will love us – He loves us with affectionate forgiveness.
As the
father looked upon him, and kissed him much, there probably came another kiss,
which seemed to say, "There is no soreness left: I have not only
forgiven, but I have forgotten the past too. It is all gone, clean gone. I will
never accuse you of it any more. I will never love you any less. I will never
treat you as though you were an unworthy and untrustworthy person."
Probably at that there came another kiss; for do not forget that his father
forgave him "and kissed him much," to show that his sin was
completely forgiven.
There stood
the prodigal, overwhelmed by his father's goodness, yet remembering his past
life. As he looked on himself, and thought, "I have these old rags on
still, and I have just come from feeding the swine," I can imagine that
his father would give him another kiss, as much as to say, "My boy, I do
not recollect the past; I am so glad to see you that I do not see any
filth on you, or any rags on you either. I am so delighted to have you
with me once more that, you are so precious to me." This is the gracious
and glorious way in which God treats those who return to Him. As for their sin,
He has put it away so that He will not remember it. He forgives like a God – a
Perfect God.
Some here
might wonder, "Can such a wonderful exchange ever take place with
me?" I know, without the slightest doubt, it may be experienced by every
man and every woman who is willing to return to God. I pray that you may feel
the spirit of it, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that each of us may be able
to say, "I understand it now; I see how He kisses all my sin away; and
when it rises again, He kisses it away again; and when I think of it with
shame, He gives me another kiss; and when I blush all over at the remembrance
of my evil deeds, he kisses me again and again, to assure me that I can be
fully and freely forgiven." Thus the many kisses from the prodigal's
father combined to make his wayward son feel that his sin was indeed all gone.
The father’s kisses revealed much love and much forgiveness.
III. These repeated kisses also meant FULL (or MUCH) RESTORATION.
The prodigal was going to say to his father, "Make me as one of thy hired
servants." In the far country he’d resolved to make that request, but his
father with a kiss, stopped him. By that kiss, his sonship was owned; by
it the father said to the wretched wanderer, "You are my son." He
gave him such a kiss as he would only give to his own son. I wonder how many
here have ever given such a kiss to anyone. There are some here who know
something of such kisses as the prodigal received.
There was
one girl. This father's girl that had went astray, and, after years of sin, she
came back worn out, to die at home. He received her, found her penitent, and
gladly welcomed her to his house. She knew something about such kisses! We can
all comprehend that this overwhelming greeting was like the Prodigal’s father
saying, "My boy, you are my son. Despite all that you have done, you
belong to me; however far you have gone in vice and folly, I own you. You are
bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." In this parable Christ would have
us know, that God the Father owns us – and if we come to Him confessing our
sin, He will gladly receive us.
Amazing
still, the Prodigal had
all of his privileges restored. He was joined with the other
children when he returned. As we see him now in his father's house, where he
was received with many kisses - he wears a son's robe, the family ring is on
his finger, and the shoes of the home are on his feet. He eats no longer
swine's food, but of the family bread. Even thus shall it be with us as we
repent and turn to God. Though we may look so foul and so unworthy; and though
we smell so strongly of the hogs among which we have been living that some
people's nostrils would turn up at us, our Father will not notice of these and
the foul business we’ve been about in a foreign land. See how this father
treats his boy. He kisses him, and kisses him again, because he knows his own
child, and, recognizing him as his child, and feeling his fatherly heart
yearning over him, he gives him kiss after kiss. He kisses him much, to make
him know that his son has his privileges fully restored.
In this
repeated kissing we can infer then, these things: much love, much forgiveness,
and full/much restoration.
IV. But these many kisses meant even more. They revealed his
father's MUCH JOY. The father's heart is overflowing with gladness, and he cannot restrain his delight.
I think he must have shown his joy by a repeated look. I will tell
you the way I think the father behaved towards his son who had been dead, but
was alive again, who had been lost, but was found. Let me try to describe the
scene. The father has kissed the son, and he bids him sit down; then he comes
in front of him, and looks at him, and feels so happy that he says, "I
must give you another kiss," then he walks away a minute; but he is back
again before long, saying to himself, "Oh, I must give him another
kiss!" He gives him another, for he is so happy. His heart beats fast; he
feels very joyful; the old man would like the music to strike up; he wants to
be dancing; but meanwhile he satisfies himself by a repeated look at his
long-lost child. Oh, I believe that God looks at us in our short-comings
similarly, and He looks at us again, and keeps on looking at us, all the while
delighting in the very sight of us, when we are truly repentant, and come back
to Him.
The repeated
kiss meant, also, a repeated blessing, for every time he put his arms
round him, and kissed him, he kept saying, "Bless you; oh, bless you, my
boy!" He felt that
his son had brought a blessing to him by coming back, and he invoked fresh
blessings upon his head. For all sinners, if we but could know how God would
welcome us, and how He would look at us, and how He would bless us, surely we
would at once repent, and come into His arms and into His heart, and find
ourselves happy in His love.
V. There is even a fifth meaning in “the Father’s kissing” - we
find that these many kisses can mean MUCH COMFORT. This poor young man, in his
hunger, faint, and wretched state, having come a very long way, had not much
heart left in him. His hunger had taken all the energy out of him, and he was
so conscious of his guilt that he had hardly the courage to face his father; so
his father gives him a kiss, as much as to say, "Come, boy, do not be cast
down; I love you."
But then,
perhaps, the young man looked down on his foul garments, and said, "The
present, my father, the present (meaning ‘present day’), what a
dreadful state I am in!" And with another kiss would come the answer,
"Never mind the present, my boy. I am content to have thee as thou art. I
love thee." This, too, is God's word to us. In spite of all our vileness,
we can be pure and spotless in Christ.
"Oh,
but," the boy might have said, "the future, my father, the
future! What would you think if I should ever go astray again?" Then would
come another kiss, and his father would say, "I will see to the future, my
boy; I will make our home so bright for you that you will never want to go away
again." But God does more than that for us when we return to Him. He not
only surrounds us with His love, but He says concerning us, "They shall be
My people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart, and one
way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children
after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not
turn away from them, to do them good" (Jeremiah 32:38-39)
Whatever
there was to trouble the son, the father gave him a kiss to set it all right;
and, in like manner, our God has love for us for every time of doubt and dismay
which may come to His reconciled sons and daughters. His love is ready at any
moment for us.
The father
of the prodigal kissed his son much, and thus made him feel happy there and
then. Nothing puts the penitent so much at rest as the Lord's repeated
assurance of His unchanging love. Such a one the Lord has often received,
"and kissed him much," that He might fetch him up even from the
horrible pit, and set his feet upon a rock, and establish his goings.
VI. And now
for our sixth insight for these many kisses had many meanings: MUCH love, MUCH
forgiveness, MUCH restoration, MUCH joy, and MUCH comfort were in them – and
also MUCH ASSURANCE.
The father
kissed his son much to make him quite certain that it was all real. The
prodigal, in receiving these many kisses, might say to himself, "All this
love must be true, for a little while ago I heard the hogs grunt, and now I
hear nothing but the kisses from my dear father's lips." So his father
gave him another kiss, for there was no way of convincing him that the first
was real like repeating it; and if there lingered any doubt about the second,
the father gave him yet a third. These repeated kisses left no room for doubt.
The father renewed the tokens of his love that his son might be fully assured
of the reality of that love.
He did it
that in the future it might never be questioned. Some of us were
brought so low before we were converted, that God gave us an excess of joy when
we joined the Church. He did that for us, that we might never forget it.
Sometimes the devil says to me, "You are no child of God." I have
long ago given up answering him, for I found that it is a waste of time to
argue with such a crafty old liar as he is; he knows too much for me. But if I
must answer him, I say, "Why, I remember when I was converted! I can never
forget the feeling of God’s love in my heart, encircling me in the arms of His
love. I cannot forget it." That is an argument which even the devil cannot
answer, for he cannot produce one ounce of true JOY. He is incapable of duplicating the JOY that
comes from the True LOVE OF THE SAVIOR! On the occasions where I have experienced God’s love, it
is true that I can now equate it as if The Father kissed me much.
The father
in the parable put the assurance of this poor returning prodigal beyond all
doubt. If the first kisses were given privately, when only the father and son
were present, it is quite certain that, afterwards, he kissed him before
men,where others could see him. He kissed him much in the presence of the
household, that they also might not be calling in question that he was his
father's child. It was a pity that the elder brother was not there also. You
see he was away in the field. He was much more interested in the crops than in
the reception of his brother. If he lived now, he would probably not come to
the church-meetings; he would be too busy. So he would not get to know about
the reception of penitent sinners. But the father, when he received that son of
his, intended all to know, once and for all, that this was indeed his child.
If we get
our Father's many kisses, we will not mind our ‘brothers/sisters’ being a
little hard upon us at times. Occasionally, I hear of one, who wishes to
participate with our Ward, saying, "I came to see the elders, and one of
them was rather rough with me. I shall never come again." Oh, if he had
felt his Father’s kisses, he would have a more softened heart. Never mind the grouchy members; get another
kiss from your Father. Perhaps the reason it is written, "He kissed him much," was
because the Lord knows of our fragileness when ‘elder brothers’ are critical
and we would be shamed into not joining in the feast.
It has
become more and more true to me that we are all indeed the ‘Prodigal Son’. That
we all have made similar and foolish errors in actions and in judgment. I have
also realized that the way in which I would want to be greeted in my repentance
efforts, is exactly as the Father of the Prodigal did. Loving, and accepting,
and grateful for my return. I know from personal experience that is how
Heavenly Father reacts to his repenting children. Also, I have come to the
conclusion that we also need to become more like the father in the parable.
When others come to us and ask for our forgiveness, as well as how we react to
the knowledge of other’s transgressions, we need to first and foremost express
our love and acceptance and joy in their return – and focus on those things
instead of the sin. We should be eager to run to them when we see them afar
off, and fall on them, and give them ‘much kissing’. There is nothing sweeter.
And in such we can indeed be more like God.
My prayer is
that we will all resolve to be diligent in continually turning back to the Lord.
It is NEVER too late to turn back to God! NEVER! He wants us back! He has told
us that He is willing to give us everything and He proved that when He gave us
His most valuable possession – His Son.
God wants us to turn our lives back to Him. As we do, I promise, by the authority vested
in me, that our Father in Heaven, while we are yet a great way off, will run
and meet us. I testify that He will fall
on our necks – that He will give us MANY kisses of love – AND THAT HE WILL FILL
US to the full with heavenly JOY! And I do so, in the name of our Savior, Jesus
Christ! Amen!
