READ: LUKE 15:11-32

I was reading through the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 recently, and instead of paying attention to the parts of the story that I normally would or that are normally preached on, I felt jealous of the young man in the story. I thought about how nice it would be to have a father come running toward you like that, to fall into his arms, to have him take care of you when you have tried to do it all on your own and things just didn’t work out.

I laughed at myself once I realized what I was feeling. Who does the father in this parable represent? God. He is my Father. I might not see Him physically run to me like in the parable, but He is there for me. This whole story was given to us to help us see how much God cares for us. It was meant to show us how much God truly loves us, and to give us a picture of how forgiving He is.

Even though I found myself feeling jealous of the prodigal son, the truth is I don’t have to be jealous of anyone. Whenever I have messed up big-time, whenever I need someone to lean on as life gets hard, I have a loving God, a loving Father who is there for me. I will never go through anything alone—I’m always going to have Him looking out for me. And just as God loves me, He loves you too. God loves each of us the way the father in the prodigal son story loves his child. • Emily Acker

• Do you long for someone to be excited to see you, for someone to pull you close when you are tired of being alone? To be with you when life gets hard, to love you still, even after you have really messed up? Consider reading Luke 15:11-32 slowly, and imagine yourself as the prodigal son. What do you notice? What do you feel? How does God feel about you?

• Jesus is the one who gave us this parable, and Jesus only says what He receives from God the Father (John 5:19-20; 12:49). Jesus reveals the Father’s heart, and He is also the way to the Father (John 14:6). Because God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, to die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead, we can become His forgiven children. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, God is your Father—forever! If you haven’t put your trust in Jesus, He longs for you to come home to Him like the prodigal son in Luke 15. He longs to pull you close, take care of you, and celebrate that you are His. You can come home— right now. Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)