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The parable of the Prodigal Son is not really about the son at all. Jesus told this parable for one reason… to show us His Father’s amazing love for the lost. The prodigal son never expected to be welcomed home again, and he was surprised when he saw his father running to kiss him and receive him with open arms. Above all, this is a story of God’s amazing love for “lost causes.” For anyone who has strayed away from their heavenly Father, know that He longs for you to come home!
As Americans, we observe Memorial Day to honor and remember those who have given their lives for our freedom. But may we never forget that the greatest sacrifice ever made was when Jesus willingly bore our sin and died on the cross to purchase our freedom. For us, every day should be a “Memorial Day” as we honor and remember our Savior for shedding His innocent blood to save us!
Where would your life be right now without Jesus? The fact is, you would be wallowing in sin, and you would be faced with a debt you could never pay. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the debt for our sin and saved us from the wrath of God that was coming upon us. We did absolutely nothing to deserve this… that’s why it’s called Grace! Do we really understand all that God’s grace has brought to us? It truly is amazing grace!
Many people have tried to define the word Grace, but the greatest definition of grace is when Jesus took our sins upon himself and died on the cross in our place. He became sin for us, so that we might receive His righteousness. He willingly took our punishment and suffered God’s wrath for us. There is no greater picture of grace. When is the last time you remembered and gave thanks for all that Jesus endured and accomplished on the cross for you?
Failure to see our past through God’s eyes can be crippling to our future. Sins and hurts from years gone by often continue to haunt us, making us doubt whether God has really forgiven us. But what we must understand is that God sees our past differently than we do because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It is vitally important that we learn to see our past as God does, or it will keep us from a life of effectiveness for Him.
As we celebrate our freedom as Americans, we remember those who have paid the price to keep us free. But how often do we celebrate the freedom we have been given through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross when He gave His life for us? He paid the ultimate price to set us free, and we owe Him a lifetime of gratitude and faithful service!
When Jesus served His disciples by washing their feet, Peter strongly resisted because He was embarrassed at the thought of having the Lord wash his filthy feet. When we become dirty by sin, our shame makes us want to run and hide from God. Yet God longs for us to come to Him despite our dirt. Just as the father ran to embrace the filthy prodigal son and put a clean robe on him, so God longs to embrace us and wash us clean.
God has been trying to get your attention! For centuries God tried to draw near to mankind by bringing His fiery presence to earth or by speaking through the prophets, but man continued to turn away. Then God sent His final Word to earth by wrapping Himself in human flesh and coming to live among us to show us the way. God has spoken to us through Jesus, and now we all have a choice to make. How have you responded?
Paul closes Ephesians chapter 3 with some of the most powerful words ever written. He prays that we will all come to know two critical things: 1) How much God loves us, and 2) How much God wants to do through us. If we only knew those two things and lived like they were true, what a difference it would make in our lives!
In times of slavery, people would often sell all they had to buy the freedom of a family member who had been enslaved. But the highest price ever paid to buy someone’s freedom was paid when Jesus willingly died on the cross to redeem us from our sin. You are loved, because God paid the ultimate price for you!
Throughout this letter to the Ephesians, Paul repeatedly uses the phrase “in Christ”. These are two of the most important words in all of life. Whether or not we are in Christ will determine our eternal destiny, and it will also determine how we live here on earth. Are you in Christ?
We all have different memories of our father… for some people, those memories bring great joy. For others, they bring tremendous pain. But even though none of our earthly fathers were perfect, we have a heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love, regardless of who we are. Do you know this Father’s love?
