Luke 15:11 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.
Here is one of the greatest parables from our Lord that I believe shows the greatness of the Father’s love for His own. I can never thank my Lord enough for waiting patiently for me. I also said in my heart several years ago that I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. And I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Even after more than 30 years out of fellowship with God as a young man and adult I always thought back how wonderful it was as a young boy to walk a mile to church each Sunday in fellowship with Jesus. I always pondered on what I learnt back then about God and His love for the world.
God did not reject me nor condemn me. He welcomed me home. Luke 15:22 says, 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: That robe He gave shows righteousness, not mine but the Father’s through His Son Jesus. The ring shows that the son belongs to the family. The shoes He gave me? The slaves didn’t wear shoes in that day only the ones who were in the family. The Lord gave me shoes to wear in my walk with Him and has blessed me beyond my every dream.
Some say I waited late in life to get saved. I know I was saved early in life but strayed like the Prodigal Son. I don’t have to prove that to anyone God knows my heart and that’s all that matters. I say God’s timing has everything to do with it. The one person calling me back was Jesus. He was calling me back in fellowship with Him as I see it now for reasons I didn’t see at the time. It was Gods perfect timing that brought my sons, some family members and others to Christ. I know now that it was me that many of those were watching and still do. It was Gods tool of songs and music He gave to me and my family to start serving Him together in such a wonderful way. Today my wife Brenda and I are Grandparents and Greatgrand parents and believe every member of our family has given their life to Christ. It is the overwhelming love of God.
I believe that a Prodigal son or daughter can make a much stronger and more appreciative servant of the Lord than many. It was and still is a drive for me to become a knowledgeable servant of the Lord so to tell others about His great love for them. I know for sure it was God who preserve me, protected me all those years from many dangers I came through without a scratch. I don’t believe time is a factor with God but I do believe His timing is everything. But being in the pigpen of life a while comes with a price tag of having stones thrown at you. As I’ve said many times before, your friends and family will never forget your sins but God forgives and throws them into the deep blue sea. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Don’t let this surprise you but all includes you and me. But verse 24 says Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: That means that we all have the chance to be forgiven through Jesus! That redemption through Christ last for all eternity.
Verse 20 of Luke 15 states, 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. It was such a great day for me when I made that decision to come back home to the Lord in fellowship. His love was so overwhelming I could almost feel His arms around me and saying welcome home. Our Lord Jesus still has that towel wrapped around His waist and water to wash our dirty feet. (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The prodigal son is not about him getting saved. The Father never denies the son, not once. It’s a parable about the Fathers love for those who belong to Him. You see I was one of those who was saved young but got caught up in the world and sometimes riotous living. I was in the desert and the pigpen for many years until I came to myself and realized that my Fathers love was everything.
How about you, is Jesus calling your name?