And he said, A certain man had two sons:  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. 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 the husks 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 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. 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. 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.  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 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.  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 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: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.  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′

When a sinful son repented and came back home to his father, the father ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him with great joy. He forgave him even before the son confessed, and he celebrated that his son was lost, and is found; was dead, and is alive again. Jesus used the parable of the lost son (in “Luke 15:11-32′ to teach us the greatness of our almighty dear Heavenly Father. No matter who you are, God loves you unconditionally. There is a massive celebration in Heaven, when we repent from our sins and ask for the Father’s forgiveness.

While his father celebrated his brother’s return, the older brother didn’t forgive his brother and was bitter about it. As Jesus demonstrated, his older brother symbolized the pharisees, who were angry and resentful that sinners were being welcomed into the Kingdom of God. It must have seemed to the pharisees that after so much service and sacrifice for God, and for so long, they deserved more love than the sinners who were far worse off than themselves. Neither the Pharisee nor we are different in that we allow our self righteousness to prevent rejoicing when others come to Jesus. As brothers and sisters to our fellows in church, we should celebrate in great joy when one of God’s lost children is found. Our life is not about us; it’s about what God can do through us. Obedience is great but repentance is better. The joy of the Lord is our strength and the source of joy is the Lord’s amazing grace.

Let us Pray:

Dear Lord, almighty Heavenly Father, I pray for Your grace and forgiveness if I have done anything that displeased You. Thank You for forgiving me and embracing me before I confessed. Help me understand the implications of Jesus’ teachings for my life so I can become more like Him. Keep me humble and steer me away from pride and self righteousness. Thank You for Your unconditional love and amazing grace. I pray this throughout the mighty glorious, fulfilling name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Much LoVe, JoY, Peace and Blessings through Jesus Christ, our almighty wonderful, infinite loving, glorious, dear Lord, Saviour and Redeemer, in who we faithfully abide, trust, believe, and abundantly do receive throughout His marvelous righteous Word and His truth fulfilling Holy Spirit.