Life will take us unexpected places, but love will always bring us home.
I know we have all heard this through the years, but the truth remains the same.
Remember the devil will take you farther than you want to go. Make you stay longer than you want to stay, make you pay more than you ever thought you would pay.
Father God is always waiting for us to look toward home, and have a longing in our heart to return home, He will run toward us, in all our uncleanness, smelling with sin.
Luke 15:13-34 (Jesus is telling the story)
"And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living." But when he had spent all, there arose a famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and sent him into the fields to feed swine.
"And he would have gladly have filled his stomach with pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
"But when he came to himself, he said " How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him "Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer to be worthy to be called your son, Make me like one of your hired servants."
And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still 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 to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.
But the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandal's on his feet.
How important it is to God to see, and hear a repented heart. Sorrowful repentance, was a sign that the son had learned his lesson.
Notice, that his Father, was always watching and waiting for his son's return.
Even though the son was smelly and dirty, the father placed the robe on him, gave him back his rightful place in the family.
Notice, also, that the father is the one who took the son home.
Another thing I see, did Father God cause the famine, so that the son would come to his senses?
Does God make us so uncomfortable in our sin, that we run back to Him?
There is so much in this story Jesus told, I hope you will reread it and see the hidden treasures in what Jesus was saying.
Beloved, if you have strayed from God's protection and His presence, come home to Jesus,
He is waiting and watching for your heart to change, and for you to realize living for God is far better than trying to live in what the world, the flesh and devil has to offer.
It is a heart change, and all the blessings are waiting for you.
Yes, repentance means to change your mind, but you do need to be sorry for straying in the first place.
It is good for you to tell God you are sorry, then the enemy cannot use it against you, it is washed away by the blood of Jesus.
The thief on the cross was sorry and confessed it to Jesus, and Jesus took him with Him.
There is a difference about condemning yourself, and being genuinely sorrowful for you sin.
There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
Never condemn yourself after you have repented and asked for forgiveness. It is over, you are restored to your rightful place.
The father saw that the son was sorrowful, dirty and hungry, it was the son's empty stomach that drove him home.
God Bless your day
Jesus loves you
Love in Jesus
Comments
So glad to hear from you again. Jo got your note that you had changed your e-mail several days ago. Since I have not received your Thought For The Day for several days I thought maybe you had mistakenly dropped my name off your mailing address.
I love this format!
Love you,
Uncle Frank