My hope and prayer and belief is you are feeling better. Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. Despite the prodigal’s attempts to change the conversation, the father continued with his own agenda. You take turns visiting us all winter, spring, summer, and fall. Parents do that. The letters which compose this word are "aleph" and "beit". After wasting away his resources, the younger son planned to come back to the farm and work as a hired hand. Share on Facebook. So you came here trying to log into our server ... Perhaps you're searching to understand what is a Christian. When there is a knowing that we are pure spirit having a human experience, our view of unconditional love makes a shift. They were the most outwardly religious of their day. He was also probably wondering why he had not been informed. The father extended grace beyond the imagination of the younger son. And dad, with your failing health and advancing years, I have taken part of your share also. But now, I know that your brother is alive and well. For parents who have paced the floor wondering of the whereabouts of your child, or of the knowledge that your child was taking a trip in inclement weather, you have not been at ease until the safe arrival of your child or the text/ call that assured you of their safety. I still the hear hear the words of my earthly father YOU ARE NOTHING.. Please see our Sunday service videos by clicking the Bulletin/Announcements/Service Video link at the top left on our home page. The older son said, “I have been working on this farm all my life. The dad was overcome with emotion, and his affection was evident and demonstrative. Donald Watson, Father Poems There are those who had ideal fathers while others had abusive fathers, and most fathers fit somewhere between those two extremes. He has been working in the field seeking to earn his father's love and acceptance. When the focus of the parable is on the loving father, we find that God will do the same for us. For many parents, the hardest task in parenting is to let their children go. Loving parents remain awake, even lying in the bed, wondering and waiting for the teen-ager to come home. As I read the text, I envision the father sitting on the front porch daily wondering about his son. When we fully realize that His love cannot be earned but is freely given, then we will serve our Father because of His love for us! Instead, the father ran to him, hugged him tightly and began to kiss him. There is a fascinating true story about the Apostle John narrated by the early church "Father", Eusebius, well worth reading.... As we continue our study of the ancient Hebrew letters we continue to find hidden treasures of meaning. I was consider a good for nothing and never amount to nothing, knowing Gods words i still struggle to believe my earthly father words even today and i am a grown women with a good husband and two kids. Ours is a conditional world. He wanted his son to know how happy he was that he had returned safely; he wanted his son to know he was forgiven and accepted; he wanted his son to know he loved him more than an inheritance. Don’t you see? F or the third year of my study in university, I was offered to undergo an exchange programme to a higher academic institution in Manila for a period of 4 months. So he explodes with self-righteous anger when his father prepares a feast for his undeserving delinquent brother. Instead, his father, still overcome by joy, called for his servants to bring the boy some decent clothes, show him he’s still my son by placing a signet ring on his hand and sandals on those dirty pig-sty smelling feet. You have been a good son; you do what I ask and more. At the beginning of chapter 15, Luke recorded that tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear Jesus, and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  Remember the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law knew more about the Scripture, meaning the Old Testament Law, than anyone. I am sure God is watching from up above, and can see the father with the unconditional LOVE. The youngest was gone, yet the work continued. I benefited greatly from my Dad’s unconditional love—and even more so from our heavenly Father’s unconditional love. Why didn’t the father lecture his son on the evils of the world and the nonsense of squandering an inheritance? But what does it mean “to believe?” And ... continue reading... Be sure to check your SPAM box and whitelist our emails to ensure delivery! Like the social outcast in the middle school lunch-room, tax collectors were shunned by the rest of society. Parents wonder about their children. You will return in spirit form to that pure-unconditional Divine Love. Instead, the father was elated to know that his son was safe and was returning. “Easter People: The Feelings of Easter” John 20:1-18, “Passion People: Cross Results” John 19:38-42, “Passion People: Cross Revelations” Mark 15:33-41, 328 South Main St., Madison, Georgia 30650. When the party began, he was working in the field. But life is so much important than anything that we own. I was in a state of living grief wondering if he was alive or dead. ADOPTING FAITH: A Father's Unconditional Love. They were crooks! By. Yet Jesus was spending more time with people like them than those who read their Bible every night and said basically the same prayer every day. So why did he let him go? It's been a comfort to know that you're here, whether it's to lend a hand or to bend an ear. © 1999 - 2020 Worthy Christian Devotions - A Division of Worthy Ministries. But unlike most of us, the father was unconcerned with the boy’s past or what he had done. That kind of love, that unconditional kind is hard to find. A Father’s Love is Unconditional. You were born in pure-unconditional Divine Love. We can only hope he finally softened under that realization. Are You Under the Protection of the "Sign"? All the while, I have been thinking, “Things sure would be different around here if little brother hadn’t left.”  Trying to take care of the farm, of my family, of you, supervising the servants, and all the while knowing that little brother was out spending the money that I helped earn while I continued to work was just a little much. What happens in the heart of the elder son is uncertain. Birthdays, holidays, and other significant times must have been hard on the father, not only because the son was absent, but also because the father wondered if the son was dead or alive, wondered if he would ever see him again. He was away long enough to squander his wealth. Sa'adah. Never miss a devotion again! As we continue in our study of the parable of the Prodigal son, let's focus on the central figure in the story -- the father. But they chose to separate themselves from the tax collectors and other known sinners of their day; the word Pharisee actually means “one who is separated.”  They viewed tax collectors and known sinners as undesirables, as riff-raff, and preferred to keep their distance. Everything you see that belongs to me is yours also. While parents today may say, “Text me when you reach your destination,” this father simply had to watch his son leave wondering if he would ever see him again. Your father was so overjoyed that he has rolled out the red carpet, and is throwing a huge party of celebration!!”. The father is much like the helpless parent whose unending love is neither understood nor appreciated by either son. But when he returned to the house, he was surprised to hear the music and the party’s commotion. Finally the father said, “You are my son too. They had no friends except other tax collectors. i understand this but is still struggle with earning God's love..guess it reflects my relationship or lack of relationship with my earthly father. A father with unconditional love The day will come when it's time to go, But first there are a few things I would like you to know. The servant said, “Great news! So on Father’s Day, what does this parable teach today’s fathers and grandfathers? It simply does not seem fair. It was time for celebration! Once the sounds of teen-age feet hitting the floor are heard, the parents can roll over and sleep. Since his understanding of love is conditional, he can't believe that his father would reward his brother's behavior -- and he jealously wonders why his Dad has never lavished him this way. I think it was simply because he loved him. As an oldest child, I have some difficulty with the justice in this family. Instead God will continue to receive us with open arms, demonstrating that unconditional love for us. Perhaps it amazed him to begin to realize that his father's love had all the time been unconditional and freely given without measure simply because they are his sons. No matter what terrible wrong they may commit, he loves them -- a perfect picture of the love of our Heavenly Father has for his children. As tears filled his eyes, the father was filled with compassion. Our New Testament Lesson was offered so that the “religious folks” would get the message that God was accepting and loving. Evidently, the younger son was an adult, or at least adult enough to leave home independently. No offense was greater than the love that the father had for his child. Nothing we have done or can do is so vile that would cause God to reject us. You can send a tax-deductible donation to: Worthy Ministries is proud to announce that we're syndicating Worthy News and Worthy Devotions for churches and Christian ministries to freely use our content! There are those who had ideal fathers while others had abusive fathers, and most fathers fit somewhere between those two extremes. Even on days you could barely walk, there was nothing that would keep you from your kids when we needed to talk. What Is A Father By The day will come when it's time to go, The tax collectors had to feel good about the stories Jesus was telling. He was so elated that the father ran to the son; he did not wait for the prodigal to grovel and beg for forgiveness or to provide excuses.