Luke 15 tells the story of son who turned his back on his father, wasted all his inheritance and lived in rebellious sin. And then, there he is at the end of his rope; he's desperate, he's hopeless, and he is filled with shame.
Think about it: he had to have been from a family of means in order to receive such an inheritance. He had been given everything he ever wanted but he still wasn't happy with it. Instead, he ran off and spent his money on all the things that would embarrass his father and ended up being so poor he was willing to eat pig slop. He went from a pride-filled, insatiable young man to the absolute lowest place you could imagine. He finally wondered if he could at least be a servant in his father's house where he could eat decent food.
Did you notice that he didn't even consider asking to be let back into the house as a son? His shame ran deep and he probably hung his head as he stumbled towards home but he knew this was the only place he could go. The attitude of the prodigal son demonstrates to us how God wants us to come to Him, with a repentant heart that recognizes we've let Him down but a deep knowledge that there is no where else to turn but to Him.
And just about at that time when you are hanging your head in shame, thinking "there is no way I could ever be worthy of God's love", He comes knocking at your door.
Do you hear His voice calling? He may be asking ....
Have you left Him out of your life?
Is there any area of your heart that is not fully surrendered to Him?
Are you weary? He will give you rest
Are you empty? He fills
Are you in need of vision? He bring sight to the blind
Are you lonely? His love is greater than you can imagine
Have you given Him control of your life?
I often use this bridge illustration (from the Navigators) to illustrate how we can become a part of God's kingdom; how we move from death to life; how we are rescued from our sin and set free by Jesus Christ.
First, we have to recognize and understand that we are all sinners and that there is absolutely nothing we can do to bridge the gap between humanity and the amazing glory of God. His holiness is so unattainable for us that the gap should be billions of light years apart to illustrate our inability to save ourselves.
Our sin has brought a huge penalty upon us and that's eternal damnation and death. We aren't worthy to receive God's love, grace and forgiveness and in His holy justice, He couldn't just give that to us.
Which is why we are so desperate for a savior, someone to pay to penalty for us and the only One who could bridge the gap from man to God. Through faith in Christ, we know that we can cross over from death to life, from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ, from judgment to amazing grace.
Have you made this decision? Have you decided to follow Christ, to leave behind the ways of the world and turn towards His gracious gift of salvation? Just like the prodigal son, none of us is worthy of the love that God pours out on us. His extravagance in welcoming us into the kingdom is overwhelming - it comes with love beyond our comprehension, a new inheritance, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us and guide us.
Dear God, I have lived a life separated from You and Your will. I am not worthy of Your love and I don't deserve to be forgiven. I am so amazed by your love! I've heard Your call and I want to turn to You and find the peace and joy that can only come from Your grace and forgiveness. Jesus, I want to follow You with all of my heart and I want to know Your love for me. Thank You Lord for what You did for me in the cross, dying for my sins; the only response I have is to give my life to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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