Wednesday, July 29, 2015
When "God ran "
*** Notice:
this is the only place in the Bible were it shows that the Father " ran
"... He ran toward the prodigal son...
Just like He will run toward you - friend when you repent and believe!
Almighty God Loves us and wants each of us to return to Him!
Amen!
Where many find themselves today - in love with themselves...Just like He will run toward you - friend when you repent and believe!
Almighty God Loves us and wants each of us to return to Him!
Amen!
- Devotional AWMI.org
July 28th
THE FATHER'S LOVE
Luke 15:20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
For this boy's father to have seen him "a great way off" would imply that the Father had been eagerly awaiting his son's return.
Certainly, in the spiritual application of this parable, our Heavenly Father is longing to cleanse and receive the sinner, if he will just repent and come to Him for forgiveness.
Jesus was using this parable to rebuke the Pharisees for their harsh, self-righteous, unforgiving attitude towards sinners.
The older brother in this parable was symbolic of the Pharisees. Like this brother, the Pharisees had not lived an outward life of rebellion and they thought that others who didn't measure up to their standards were surely hated by God.
But, "God so loved the world" and "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
Just as this older brother was self-centered and jealous, the Pharisees were not operating in the love of God towards sinners because they were so in love with themselves. They resented Jesus giving the sinners what the Pharisees thought they deserved.
If relationship with his father had been the real desire of the older brother, he would have rejoiced to see his father's joy at the return of his son. The repentant prodigal son had learned the vanity of things and he had come home to a relationship with his father that neither he nor his older brother had known before.
The scribes and Pharisees, like the older brother, had gotten caught up in serving self through their religious actions. The publicans and sinners who repented were supplying their Father with what He really wanted - relationship.
Relationship with the Father was always available to the scribes and Pharisees, but they chose the temporal praise of men rather than the Eternal - Relationship with God.
July 29th AWMI.net
ALL THE WRONG REASONS
Luke 15:28 "And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him."
If this elder son had considered his brother, he would have rejoiced at his return even as his father did. Rather, he was totally self-centered (that's pride) and became angry.
This illustrates Proverbs 13:10; "only by pride comes contention."
Luke 15:20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
For this boy's father to have seen him "a great way off" would imply that the Father had been eagerly awaiting his son's return.
Certainly, in the spiritual application of this parable, our Heavenly Father is longing to cleanse and receive the sinner, if he will just repent and come to Him for forgiveness.
Jesus was using this parable to rebuke the Pharisees for their harsh, self-righteous, unforgiving attitude towards sinners.
The older brother in this parable was symbolic of the Pharisees. Like this brother, the Pharisees had not lived an outward life of rebellion and they thought that others who didn't measure up to their standards were surely hated by God.
But, "God so loved the world" and "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
Just as this older brother was self-centered and jealous, the Pharisees were not operating in the love of God towards sinners because they were so in love with themselves. They resented Jesus giving the sinners what the Pharisees thought they deserved.
If relationship with his father had been the real desire of the older brother, he would have rejoiced to see his father's joy at the return of his son. The repentant prodigal son had learned the vanity of things and he had come home to a relationship with his father that neither he nor his older brother had known before.
The scribes and Pharisees, like the older brother, had gotten caught up in serving self through their religious actions. The publicans and sinners who repented were supplying their Father with what He really wanted - relationship.
Relationship with the Father was always available to the scribes and Pharisees, but they chose the temporal praise of men rather than the Eternal - Relationship with God.
July 29th AWMI.net
ALL THE WRONG REASONS
Luke 15:28 "And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him."
If this elder son had considered his brother, he would have rejoiced at his return even as his father did. Rather, he was totally self-centered (that's pride) and became angry.
This illustrates Proverbs 13:10; "only by pride comes contention."
How can we esteem others better
than ourselves when in truth we really think we are better than others?
Some people are better athletes than others. Some are better businessmen
than others. Some are better speakers than others, and so forth.
First, we need to recognize that our accomplishments don't make us better than others. There is a difference between what we do and who we are.
Better performance does not make a better person. A person's character can be severely wanting even though his performance is good. A classic example of this is found in the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They did the right things for all the wrong reasons. Inside they were corrupt. So our evaluation of others needs to change.
God judges by looking on the inside, not the outside (1 Sam. 16:7). We need to esteem others on a different basis than what most of us do.
Secondly, to esteem someone better than ourselves simply means to value them more than we value ourselves. To some that may seem impossible, but it isn't.
It is exactly what Jesus did.
If Jesus, who was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), could humble Himself and value our good above His own welfare, then we should certainly be able to do the same.
It can happen only when we die to self and live to God.
First, we need to recognize that our accomplishments don't make us better than others. There is a difference between what we do and who we are.
Better performance does not make a better person. A person's character can be severely wanting even though his performance is good. A classic example of this is found in the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They did the right things for all the wrong reasons. Inside they were corrupt. So our evaluation of others needs to change.
God judges by looking on the inside, not the outside (1 Sam. 16:7). We need to esteem others on a different basis than what most of us do.
Secondly, to esteem someone better than ourselves simply means to value them more than we value ourselves. To some that may seem impossible, but it isn't.
It is exactly what Jesus did.
If Jesus, who was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), could humble Himself and value our good above His own welfare, then we should certainly be able to do the same.
It can happen only when we die to self and live to God.
