Good afternoon, I want to let all of you who have been reading my blog, that I am doing great. After last doctor visit in March, I do not have to go back until August. It is my hope that all of you are doing well also.
Many believe that the God of the Bible is mean, angry, and uncaring? Many say, “yes I believe there is a God, but not a God I like.” “He is uncaring, mean, and sends the creation, He made, to hell.” Many today have forgotten the Father and the Fathers love. Many see God as the judge, and Jesus as the Good Sheppard; and that Jesus dies on the cross to appease God. Nothing can be further from the truth. John 3:16 clearly states: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. The God of the Bible is the God of love. Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, reveals God’s love.
The Old Testament gives many names for God. Elohim (the Eternal Creator), Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord our Provider), Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord our Peace), and there are many more. But Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible refers to God, as Father. Jesus even told us, when we pray, we are to pray like this. Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
This story, told by Jesus, (his words), is as follows.
A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of good that falleth to me.” And he divided unto them his living. 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. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with huskes that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 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! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” And he arose and come 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. And the son said unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in they sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” 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, and bring hither the fatted calf, 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.
As most of you know, this story is called the Prodigal Son, but the story begins with “a certain man.” This man is the hero and main character of this story, not the son, as so many have been taught. This story, is the story of the Father.
It begins with the younger son saying, “give me the portion of the good that falleth to me.” In the Jewish culture of that day, the son was basically saying to his father, drop dead, or I cannot wait for you to die. This is a father that is totally rejected by his son. It should be noted here, that the oldest son, in that day and culture, always received two-thirds of the inheritance.
Now the father divides the inheritance between the both sons. Both sons, the older along with the younger son, receives their inheritance. One third to the younger son, and two-thirds to the older son.
So the younger son leaves, and after riotous living, loses everything his father gave him. So he says to himself, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
I wonder if he really cared about sinning before heaven, or his father. It seems that he had thought the situation out and realized it would be better to be a hired servant in his father’s house, than a man feeding pigs. I will tell my father that I have sinned against him, and then I will tell him to make me one of his hired servants. “I will be much better off doing that, than what I am doing now.”
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. Now being held by his father, he starts his rehearsed speech. “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in they sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” Notice here that the son never got to finish his prepared speech. Why did Jesus leave out the rest? To be a hired servant, means you have to earn your livelihood, and the God of the Bible will never make you earn His love, His goodness, His peace, His joy, or His health. The boy’s father didn’t even allow him to finish speaking, but said to the servants. “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf, 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.”
Now the rest of the story sees the older son getting angry at what his father is doing for his other son. Should it not have been the father that was angry. Was it not he who had been rejected? Instead of being angry, he says, “lets be merry.” Now his father comes out to him and entreats him. The older son says to his father, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet you never gave me a goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” “But as soon as this, thy son was come, which has devoured your living with harlots, you have killed for him a fatted calf.” His father could have replied to him with, “Why have you been serving me son, I have many hired servants.” Why have you been trying to earn what I have already so lavishly and freely given you, my son?” But instead he says, “Son thou art ever with me, and all that I have is yours. It is good that we should have a party: for your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost and is found.”
Verse 20: But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him. What does this say to us? His father must have been watching for him, day and night. Every morning, every afternoon, every evening, he would stand, looking out to the horizon, watching and waiting for his son. By now I hope you are beginning to realize something about your Father in heaven. You can be far away, but your Father still sees you, and he does not see you in a way that is fault-finding, but sees your need for Him.
And had compassion. This father had been totally rejected, he had been the object of ridicule and scorn from his son. This father had lost many possessions because of this son, yet what was in the father’s heart? Compassion; Jesus is telling us here in this story, what our Father is like. He has compassion, not bitterness, not resentment; but compassion, and his compassion caused him to run to the son. He did this all before the son had any chance to repent.
The son should have fallen at the fathers feet, and kiss the father. Instead it was the father who kissed and kissed the son. This father did all of this, saw, had compassion, ran, embraced, kissed, all before the son said anything. This is your heavenly Father. His love is instant, and remember this love He has for us, it cost Him, His son.
Excerpts from a sermon by Joseph Prince.
Fore there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word , and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one…… (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.)