Yesterday at our friday service, I was so blessed with the word that Pastor Cj shared. I remember, I asked God to give me a revelation on how He wants to see my heart. As you read on, my hope and prayer for you is that you grasp what do we mean about having a father's heart. btw, Happy father's day to all! :) Even if you are not an earthly father! ;)
Luke 15:11-24(a.k.a The prodigal son)
"There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[a]'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
I have read this passage a thousand times, I know the story and the theme, but this another revelation is a bit different from what I have learned from sunday school, or during my quiet times. In this scripture, we can be able to see how did the "father" in this parable respond on the actions of his son. We all know that this particular son got his share of the estate and then wandered off, away from His father' presence.And after spending all his money, he then realized that apart from his father, he can't be able to live his life. He even eat what the pigs eat.
1. the father RAN when he saw his son: the father actually ran towards his son! At first, well that's what dads normally do when they see their sons. But the thing is, the son maybe smelled like a pig, and maybe so dirty that even other people can't recognize that he is a rich man's son. In short, if an earthly father sees his son like that, maybe he would scold him. I remember when I was a child, my father didn't scold me too much. My mother did those things. But when I finally do something that was really bad, my dad entered in. And I was so scared when my dad did that. I even came to the point of not loving my dad anymore because of that event. I didn't remember what actually happened but I know the pain that caused me to cry so hard, even harder when my mom disciplined me. Syempre, when I became a Christian, I finally realized that I shouldn't curse my parents or even think that they shouldn't be with me, because God placed them in my life for a purpose. Okay, the running of the father can be equated to as LOVE. He ran because He was so compassionate for his son. He loved his son more than anything else. He loved his son unconditionally. that no matter how dirty he looks, he is still his son, and he loves his son. Same through with God. He loves us more than anything else, that's why He gave Jesus. For Him to show his ultimate love for us. That's what God has been revealing to me during this season. Loving other people unconditionally, even if I don't feel like loving them, or they are not lovable, or I don't really like them. God wants us to love others unconditionally, especially our families,even friends, or other people we see each day. He wants us to have compassion for them same as He had compassion for us.:)
2. The father gave his son a RING.: The ring signifies a lot of things. It can be a marriage ring, fashion, etc. The father gave his son a ring because it symbolizes the son's IDENTITY. Nowadays there are people who suffer from identity crisis. They don't know who they really are. Their gender, their personalities. Some of these people fashioned their identity through the television, internet, and every kinds of "cool" stuffs they think about. Knowing our identity in Christ is very crucial, yet so inspiring. I recall a time when I had my victory weekend, I was so glad to know my identity in Christ. Kasi I really feel so insecure about myself.Kasi I was not as good or as beautiful as my other sisters are. (naks!) I really admit that I was a nobody. But now that I know my identity in Christ, the enemy doesn't have a foothold anymore. And if we realize our identity, we can see that we don't deserve it, but God made it possible for us to deserve it.:) so much grace and mercy..
3. The father let his son wear the BEST ROBE: Yeah! This is my favorite part. God indeed gave us our robe.not just an ordinary robe..but the best robe. it can be also equated to SECURITY. God gave us the maximum security that we need.not just physical security, but all the security that we need.:)
