God’s Unwavering Love - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 12
God’s Unwavering Love
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 NASB)
Do you ever feel that you have disappointed God too much for Him to give you another chance? Do you fear returning to Him because of the places you’ve been or the things you’ve done?
Jesus told a moving story in Luke 15 about God’s tender forgiveness toward His loved ones when they go astray. We call it the story of the Prodigal Son. The word prodigal literally means one who spends money in a reckless, extravagant way. In this story, a younger son asked his father for his inheritance early. (In Jewish custom, that would be the equivalent of telling his father he wished he were dead.) He then took his share of what was still legally his father’s, and went to a faraway land and squandered his entire inheritance on foolish, reckless, raunchy living. He was living high on the hog, rich with money and “friends,” until he found himself sleeping with the pigs, penniless and alone. Starving, and upon realizing he was envying the pigs for the slop they got to eat, he decided to return home and ask if he could be his father’s hired hand. Then at least he’d be fed better than pigs and have a place to sleep among his father’s servants.
It must have been a long, grueling journey home for this man, who by this time was smelly, scrawny, and had been homeless for quite some time. A long walk home without food, water, proper clothing, or even good shoes only increased his shame and humiliation. Perhaps he had a speech prepared, an admission of his wrongdoing, a pleading for his father to consider taking him in as a servant. Or, maybe he just intended to fall in shame, at his father’s feet, and beg to even be heard. But before he could utter a word, his father surprised, shocked, and overwhelmed him with the unexpected greeting he received.
His father’s pride was at stake with the return of a son whom he should consider dead to him. How he reacted would set an example to other Jewish families when their rebellious sons acted with such disrespect and contempt. Yet this father, upon seeing from a distance that the scraggly man making his way up the road was not some homeless derelict or demon-possessed wanderer, but his long-lost son, picked up the ends of his robe and ran to meet him. Before the shamed son could even utter a word to express the humiliation in his heart, his father embraced him, held onto him like there was no tomorrow, and then ordered his servants to give his son a robe (representing his position as “sonship”) and a ring (indicating his authority once again as an estate holder). The father then ordered that plans be made to celebrate the homecoming of his wayward son. They literally threw a party.
This son, who was once thought dead, was now alive. He had returned home. There was no punishment. No lecture, no shaming, no rebuke, and no harsh words. Just grace. Forgiveness. Abundant love.
I used to think this story was about the warning to not rebel, the consequences of disobedience, and the importance of repentance. But the story isn’t so much about the rebellious child, but about the patient, persevering, forgiving love of a father—the one who wouldn’t think for a second to relegate his child from heir to servant. His child’s position in the family didn’t change through disrespectful actions or heinous circumstances. Only the son’s heart had originally changed—and become calloused—toward his father. His father’s love for him, however, had never wavered.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you realize that no matter what you and I do, we can’t “undo” God’s love for us? We can’t position ourselves out of our inheritance in Christ. We can’t disappoint Him to the point that He cancels us, or unfriends us, or relegates us to “outside-the-house” status, and lets us visit once or twice a year at Easter or Christmas. The door to His home is always open. In fact, it never closes to us, once we’ve been allowed in to dwell with Him. Our door is the one we shut—the door to our hearts that causes Him to stand and knock and ask to come in (Revelation 3:20).
Is the door of your heart constantly open to this Compassionate Father? If you’ve been gone a while, would you simply return to Him and dwell with Him continually? His invitation to you has never expired, His patience has never worn thin, His love has never run dry. Be the one who runs to Him and experiences His loving embrace.
Lord Jesus, You have never allowed me to be a stranger to You; may You never be a neglected guest in my heart and home. Thank You for being the Father to whom I can run, ever trust, always love.
Further Reading:
Luke 15:11-32
Jeremiah 31:3
For more on growing closer to your loving heavenly Father, see my book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.
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Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!
Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
