[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Prodigal’s Father

The Prodigal's Father '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.' Luke 15: 20 [NIV]   What would you have expected of the father?  He could have reacted in two opposite ways.  He could say, "you had your inheritance, you wasted it – now don't come to me asking for more!"  Instead, we find that he saw him when 'he was still a long way off'.  In other words, he was looking out for him – probably not a day went by without him wondering when (or if) he would see his son again.  He ran to his son, and left him in no doubt that he still loved him.   'The father-child bond is very deep – it is almost never too late to begin to build a relationship or to try to rebuild one that is lost.  It may mean swallowing a little pride, but that's a small price.' Rob Parsons – The Sixty Minute Father.    The prodigal son didn't expect to be welcomed in such a way – he certainly didn't deserve it - but he swallowed his pride and came home, a failure.   God's love is the love of the perfect father (something we can only see sometimes in our human fathers).  It is not a question of punishment or disgrace.  Rather, there is the opportunity to celebrate in good grace.   Let us look to the example of our heavenly Father, as a role model for parenting, and let us also remember the commandment to 'honour your father and mother'.   Dave MacLellan (originally publised in 2003) Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!