When we consider we were born sinners, enemies of God, bound for hell, and incapable of saving ourselves... And then God, instead of destroying us, sends His Son to die in our place in order to make us His own, the result should reduce us to abject humility and full surrender.

Jesus tells the parable of a wealthy farmer who was doing so well he just had to have more. So he built bigger barns to hold bigger harvests all the while giving little thought to God, his own fleeting life, and certainly not the needs of others.

He was offered the opportunity to personally follow the Son of God but instead he goes away sad. Unbeknownst to him, he likewise goes away poor because the greater Treasure was right before him.

Since the whole work was finished and the whole debt was paid upon the Cross there was nothing for me to do but to fall upon my knees, accept the Savior and praise Him forevermore.

Though Jesus did not condone her sin, He would go to the cross to pay for her sins. He would bear her punishment. He would suffer her guilt and shame. And He's also done the same for us...

May our Savior and Lord increasingly give us eyes to see as He sees and to respond to the person before us with compassion, mercy, and love. After all, that's how He looked and responded to each of us...

In The Prodigal Son, we learn that there are two sons in need of redemption. We explore this Parable with fresh eyes and open hearts and we'll see that Jesus not only meant it for then and there but for here and now. He even meant it for the likes of us!

God is not like us...His ways and His thoughts are so much higher than ours. He will abundantly pardon us and show us His compassion that is infinite and beyond our ability to comprehend.

By looking to God's unchanging and eternal word as our standard, the church can shine the light of God's kingdom in this dark and confused world leading many to the truth.

"Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure." (NLT)