Over the years, men have professed undying, non-ending and unconditional love to one another: Parents to their children, Husbands to their wives, and citizens to their countries, among others. However, God's love remains, to some, a hard nut to crack or some sort of puzzle to uncover.
In this blog post, I will be sharing with you insights from the story of the prodigal son from the Bible and pointing out God's marvellous love towards mankind, saved, backslider and unsaved alike.
We all know the story of the Prodigal Son. Some of us knew it as the story of a reckless spender. For revision's sake, let me start by refreshing our memory of the story. A father, portrayed to be rich, wealthy and prosperous, had two sons. Then, one day, just like we read in the story Once Upon a Time. On this fateful day, the younger son came to his father to have his share of his inheritance. The father gave him and he went to spend it all. Left with nothing and in a strange land, he began to starve. He tried working in a field, feeding swine(pigs). Life was not fair to him and he came to his senses. He decided to come back home, though with sentiments that his father might not accept him as his son, but he was even ready to starve in his father's house, under his father's care, than outside. Lo and behold, his father accepted him, clothed him and even killed the fatted calf to celebrate his return.
Now, here are the profound truths about God's Love from this passage:
God loves you but you have choices to make.
What comes to your mind when you read that sentence? Do you feel it to be profound or not? Remember the story of Adam, when he was left with choosing between obeying his wife or God's word, he made his choice.
Yes, God loves you. I mean, you are the work of his hands, made for his Glory. However, you have choices to make. Either allow his love to shape your decisions and choices as proof that you love him too or other influences.
Man changes but God's love remains.
His love is not some sort of candle that decreases in size after how many hours of lighting it or some sort of foodstuff that finishes after days of consumption. Does that make any sense?
This young man felt his father could never accept him as his son because of what he had done. He was sure that he would ask him to be a slave and run errands around just like one. However, his father never did that. It is we humans who change and allow situations, circumstances or emotions to be a determinant of how we treat or reciprocate love to others. With God, it's never so. His love never changes.
God’s kind of love for you can not be found outside him
I am in Nigeria, and it will be fun to start looking for President Donald Trump's house here. He does not live in Nigeria. Imagine me looking for a white house in Nigeria. Maybe I will see houses painted in white, right? That's just on a lighter mode.
Some of us are looking for God's kind of love outside of him. The son was hired by a citizen of the country where he went. Yet, he was hungry. Was he not paid? How harsh must the hirer have treated him for him to be working and still be that hungry? It was even recorded that he would love to eat the husks that the swine eats but no one is even ready to give him. He must have remembered when he is not doing anything back home and he will eat. If you have been privileged to see people show you love that moved you to tears at one point in time in your life or the other, they must have experienced God's kind of love to enable them to show it to you.
God's love comes with restoration.
Most of us believe that restoration is getting back all that we have lost. Yes, it is. However, for some people (just like Job), it is losing all but getting back all that has been lost in double folds. (Job 42:12&13). Can you beat that?
This son was given a new robe, not what he wore before leaving the house( that must have been a rag actually), a ring on his finger, which he might not have worn before leaving and shoes on his feet. With his love, he can restore all you have lost when you were in search of unending frivolities and even more.
God's love is never to encourage disobedience. It only makes provision for it.
I have seen people said if God can leave ninety-nine in search of one, why be among the ninety-nine? Let me just be the one that is lost that God is finding. I laugh in disbelief. Knowing the elder brother was so angry with the father throwing a party for a child that has been so reckless and disobedient. What if the younger brother came with bruises from the swine attack? Or, let's say, a broken leg or arms? He will have to manage such damage for the rest of his life, with no remedy for such loss.
His love is never to encourage us to be disobedient, reckless or make any choices because he will forgive us whenever we repent. Yes, his love makes provision for ‘what ifs’ or ‘in case’ but never to encourage persistent disobedience over and over again.
Conclusively, God's love is the bedrock where other loves lie. It is God's love that shapes how we love others, overcoming hatred with love and many other things around us.
You can also share your views Or thoughts about God's love.
Post a Comment
Please drop a comment and use the Social Media Buttons below to share to friends and family.