HOPE FOR THE DELIBERATE SINNER
I will arise and go to my father. Luke 15:18.
In the parable of the lost son we have the story of someone who was in the fold, decided--planned--to go out and be lost, went into a far country by his own choice, then knew he was lost and knew the way back. And the father followed him all the time--with his binoculars, shall we say--and was out looking for him on the day of his return.
And so through this parable, Jesus is demonstrating the goodness and kindness of the Father, and He is saying, "For any type of person, we are out looking. We're out looking for you." The truth is that that is God's business and the great plan of salvation. The God who allowed you to be born, about which you had no choice, is not a God who is going to leave you wandering and lost, whether we know the way back or whether we don't. He is going to stay with us until the moment of truth in our lives when by our own conscious intelligence and our reasoning we can accept Him or reject Him.
Like the prodigal son, we are running away from self-surrender. We are running away from the moment of truth in which we face ourselves with the realization that we are incapable for life and for handling the things of eternity.
One way we run away is by just plain busy-ness. We feel we have to keep busy, whether it is with books or studies, work or pleasure--just keep busy, occupied. It's possible for this to become a convenient route for running away. And all the time God is following, staying close, helping when we don't know it.
Then there is the pseudoreligionist who wants to forget God but does not want to give the impression that he wants to forget God, and so he spends a great deal of time discussing and dissecting and analyzing God and Christ and religion. There are probably as many ways of running from God as there are people who are running.
But when we realize that He is out looking for us, we can arise and go to the Father. He will meet us a great way off. "If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love."--Christ's Object Lessons, p. 206.
I will arise and go to my father. Luke 15:18.
In the parable of the lost son we have the story of someone who was in the fold, decided--planned--to go out and be lost, went into a far country by his own choice, then knew he was lost and knew the way back. And the father followed him all the time--with his binoculars, shall we say--and was out looking for him on the day of his return.
And so through this parable, Jesus is demonstrating the goodness and kindness of the Father, and He is saying, "For any type of person, we are out looking. We're out looking for you." The truth is that that is God's business and the great plan of salvation. The God who allowed you to be born, about which you had no choice, is not a God who is going to leave you wandering and lost, whether we know the way back or whether we don't. He is going to stay with us until the moment of truth in our lives when by our own conscious intelligence and our reasoning we can accept Him or reject Him.
Like the prodigal son, we are running away from self-surrender. We are running away from the moment of truth in which we face ourselves with the realization that we are incapable for life and for handling the things of eternity.
One way we run away is by just plain busy-ness. We feel we have to keep busy, whether it is with books or studies, work or pleasure--just keep busy, occupied. It's possible for this to become a convenient route for running away. And all the time God is following, staying close, helping when we don't know it.
Then there is the pseudoreligionist who wants to forget God but does not want to give the impression that he wants to forget God, and so he spends a great deal of time discussing and dissecting and analyzing God and Christ and religion. There are probably as many ways of running from God as there are people who are running.
But when we realize that He is out looking for us, we can arise and go to the Father. He will meet us a great way off. "If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love."--Christ's Object Lessons, p. 206.
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