Father's Love

In Luke Chapter 15 there are three parables that are taught in church frequently. The parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Remarkably the three stories touch an aspect of the responses of God’s children and show the various relationship we experience as children of the Father. His role remains the same, as a loving Father God. The first is the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd has one hundred sheep. But one stays from the flock. The sheep was with the shepherd and wanders off, so the sheep knows it’s lost, but regardless it continues to walk along it’s own path. The shepherd comes to know that the sheep is missing and leaves the ninety-nine sheep to seek the one who has gone missing and when he finds it in trouble and alone He picks up the sheep and carries it back to the flock where it belongs. The sheep has the opportunity to stay again but the shepherd has acted in love and sought the sheep for a safe return. The lost coin tells of a woman who has ten silver coins and loses just one. She sweeps the entire house in search for the lost coin leaving nothing unsearched and when she finds it she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice for the coin has been found. This parable can teach us so many wonderful things about the true heart of the Father God who longs to have an intimate relationship with his children. The coin did not know it was lost it simply was, but the woman was not fulfilled in the remaining nine coins. She searches everywhere until she has found the coin which belongs to her and when she does she rejoices. She would not have label the one that was lost to identify which had been missing, she would just include it with the other nine and all would be restored, as it was initially. This conveys that our Father seeks his children who do not know they are lost. He pursues the missing leaving no place unturned until all of his child have returned and are again in the possession of the Lord, and each time he finds one he rejoices. And the prodigal son, which over the last few years has become one of my favorite stories in the bible, tells of a son who forsakes his wealthy father and asks for his great inheritance before it is rightfully time. The father who loves the son gives him the inheritance and the son squanders it on the foolish, wild living in the world. The son finds himself broke and in desperate need of work so he seeks employment and is offered a job feeding pigs. (This was disgraceful occupation because pigs were considered unclean) Yearning to eat the food he is feeding the pigs it says “he comes to his senses” and decides to return to his father to tell him he has sinned against him and is no longer worthy of being called his son. The father sees the son far off, which leads us to understand that the Father must have been looking, waiting for the son. And while he, the son, is still far off the father runs to him and embraces him. The son tries to tell his story of his disgrace but the father immediately puts the signet ring on his finger, which during the time would have been the seal that when stamped acted as a method of paying anything to the father’s estate, thus reinstating the full inheritance to the son. This is one of the best examples of our Fathers love. The child has been foolish, ungrateful, unloving and completely disrespectful. The father, who loves the son, gives him what he asks for and lets him go, with his blessing. While the child is gone, the father waits and seeks his return and when the child returns with nothing left of all he has been given the father runs to him. He throws his arms around him, says nothing about the child’s disobedience and instead as the greatest act of love, restores full inheritance to the child. I am quickly realizing that it is imperative that I learn all that I can about my Father’s love. The bible paints a beautiful picture of His love. But until I step fully into a intimate relationship with the Father I will not be able to full comprehend His ultimate, unbreakable, everlasting love!
Our Father loves us when we do NOTHING! But His love compels us to do EVERYTHING!
I have a great relationship with my earthly father and our relationship in turn allows me to understand a father’s love much easier than if I did not have such a father. Suppose I had not had such a great parental, father-son relationship. Suppose my father was violent or consumed with rage. God has moments in scripture where he is forceful and firm in his correcting, as my father has also at times in my development, but Gods love never diminishes even when He corrects. He rebukes with a righteous and consuming love. The Father’s heart is always loving in the best interest of His child.
This story was shared at a conference I attended recently. A young boy named Tim is very adventurous. He loves going to play in the park across the street from his home. His father tells him that he can only go to the park if he or the boys mother are with him. He warns that it is very dangerous to cross the busy street. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?,“ says the father. The boy, looking up at his father responds, “Yes papa, I understand.” Later the father is wrapped up in another matter and the boy is longing to go to the park. He looks to see if the father is paying attention and then gazes across to the park, looks back to the father and then again to the park. Consumed by his “now mentality” he steps out into the street and heads for the park. He forgets to look to his right and a car which is traveling fast, tries to stop, but cant stop in time. Tim and the car collide and the impact sends Tim flying through the air and landing on the asphalt. A neighbor, who has seen the entire incident runs to the boy’s father and yells, “Come quick! Tim has been in an accident and he needs you!” The father immediately drops everything and runs out to his boy. By this time a crowd is gathering and the police have arrived. He yells out “Please move that‘s my son that’s my son!” As the crowd parts the image of Tim’s motionless body is revealed. The father approaches his son, their eyes meet and he sees the blood starting to puddle around his son’s head. He points down at him lying there and yells, “You see what you‘ve done Tim! Look at yourself! I specifically warned you this would happen if you didn‘t listen to my instructions and now you see it‘s true. Hear that? The ambulance is coming to get you and you‘ll probably have permanent damage from this disobedience!” NO WAY A LOVING FATHER DOES NOT TALK TO HIS KID LIKE THAT! He would have rushed to his son’s side and knelt down right in the puddle of blood, placed his hands softly upon his son and in his ear with tears forming in his eyes whispered, “Oh my son! Daddy‘s here! I‘m so sorry that your hurting but Daddy‘s here. I love you son! Everything is going to be alright, Daddy‘s here. You hear that? That’s the ambulance and they‘re coming to help you! Don‘t be afraid, I‘m going to go with you to the hospital and I promise no matter what happens I‘ll never leave you! I love you!” And that is the postured response of our loving Father in Heaven. No matter what happens He will never leave us nor forsake us!
The father would be just and truthful in the first response to the son. The father had warned that this could happen if the child did not obey the guidelines set in place by the father. But the child is broken and lying in a puddle of blood, scared and hurting! The child does not need to be reminded of how he’s messed up, the child knows that this is not good. The child needs love from the father. God the father, he loves His children. He loves them so much that He promises to never leave us no matter how we disobey, no matter how much damage the disobedience causes, no matter what happens, HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US BECAUSE HE LOVES US AND WE ARE HIS CHILDREN!