Come Home To Your Father: Luke 15:20-22 (Love)

Read Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Are you ready to make an investment in the Fruit of Love?

Read Luke 15:20-22:

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet."

Select the "Successful" response when you are finished.

(Note: to read the entire parable, go to 'Documents' above.)

In this parable of the prodigal son, Jesus tells us how God, our Father, loves us unconditionally. The amount of His love for us is not conditional on our behavior, performance, the extent of our sins, what other people think of us or even what we think of ourselves.

Take a moment to allow this truth to penetrate.

How much do you believe that God's love for you is completely and unequivocally unconditional?

In what area of your life do you feel that you have to earn God's love?

For example:
Do you feel that you have to perform well at work for God to think well of you?
Do you feel that you have to be liked and admired by your friends and family for God to approve of you?
Do you feel that you should be spending more time serving God so that He will love you more?
Do you use what other people think of you as a measure of God's love for you?

Write down your answers.

While God's love for you is unconditional, in the parable of the prodigal son, we do discover that there is one very clear caveat for experiencing God's unconditional love: the son must be returning home to the father.

As we know from the parable, the son has been off pursuing his own interests and desires until he eventually hits his rock bottom and humbly decides to return home.

How confident are you that you are humbly pursuing your Heavenly Father with all your heart, soul, mind and strength over your own interests and desires?

What are the other priorities you tend to put before seeking your Heavenly Father?

Are you ready to return home to the unconditional love of your Father right now?

If you answered 'Yes', read Luke 15:20 again as if God was speaking directly to you:

"While you were still a long way off, I saw you coming. I was filled with love and compassion for you, I ran to you, my child, I embraced you, and kissed you."

Allow His words to penetrate. Stay with this until you experience the full impact of your Father's unconditional love for you.

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

Read Luke 15:21 as if you were speaking directly to God:

"Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your child."

Is there anything specifically you would like to confess or repent of? If 'Yes', you can do so in the space provided.

Read Luke 15:22 as if God was speaking specifically about you:

"Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on my child. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet."

God, the Father, is so happy to see you return to him that he doesn't even stop long enough to discuss your sins before dressing you in all his finest attire. For most of us, this is not what we've been taught to expect from him.

Would you like to show your Heavenly Father your love and appreciation? If 'Yes', you can do so in the space provided.

Read 1 John 3:1:

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him."

How much apprehension or difficulty are you currently experiencing because the people, who belong to this world, don’t recognize that you are God's child?

Returning to the beginning of the parable, why doesn't the father go after his wayward son? Why do you think he simply waits at home for his son to return to him?

"How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Matthew 7:11

Regarding this verse, Oswald Chambers states:

"There are times, says Jesus, when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but trust Him. God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural Father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Nothing happens in any particular unless God's will is behind it, therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. "Ask, and it shall be given you."'

Is there anything you would like to ask your Father right now? You can do so privately or in the space provided.

What did you learn about God's love for you?

How much has this Trail increased the fruit of love in your current disposition?