Luke 15:20 (ESV)
²⁰ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

It has been said that Luke 15 is one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible because it deals, not only with the lost sinner, but also with the great love that God has for His children. We find in this chapter three wonderful parables from our Lord, the most popular one probably being “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.”

The primary objective of this parable is not to teach us about sinners, but to teach us about God. Too many people view God as a harsh dictatorial monarch who rules the universe with cruel severity and cares little about people. Such a view of God could not be further from the truth. The fact is, God is a Being of infinite love, compassion, and mercy. His love for mankind is beyond anything we can imagine. He sacrificed His only begotten Son for us, and there could not be a greater demonstration of love than that.

God’s love is demonstrated, not only by the price He was willing to pay for our original redemption, but by His willingness to receive us back after we walked away from Him. As children of God, we should never feel like we have sinned so badly that God no longer wants to save us. This great parable teaches us that if we repent and return to God after we sin, He will welcome us back with open arms.

The son in this parable treated his father terribly. He demanded his portion of the father’s inheritance prematurely, an inheritance that he was not supposed to receive until after his father died. This young man is showing himself to be greedy, impatient, and, worse of all, not appreciating all that his father does for him; thus, he takes his money and leaves.

Soon, away from his father’s guidance, and having a thirst for sin, the boy squandered all his money with reckless living (ver.13). With work being hard to find due to a famine that came to the land, he finally landed a job feeding pigs. Still, he was so hungry that he longed to eat the food meant for the pigs (vers:15-16). It is at this point that this young man came to his senses, recognized that he had sinned, and decided to go back to his father’s house (vers. 17-19). But, would the father accept him after being so selfish and living so sinfully? The parable gives us the answer.

Luke 15:20 (ESV)
²⁰ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

This father represents God in this parable. We learn from it that if we repent of our sins, God will receive us back without hesitation. Have you become an unfaithful child of God? You should know that the way home is unblocked, and the door of restoration is open. All you have to do is start back by being willing to repent, and God will run to you with open arms. He does not care what other people think. He is not worried about whatever you have done while you were away. All God wants is for you to repent (2 Peter 3:9), and He will treat you like you’ve never been away. What more could you ask than that?

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.