Today's Passage - Luke 15:20-24

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 15:20-24   So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.'   We can learn two lessons from the younger son:   First, we need to learn how to humble ourselves.  When we are proud, our eyes cannot see our true situation; but when we humble ourselves, we can see how weak we are, and we'll recognize the love and abundance of God.  In the case of the younger son, once he humbled himself, he recognized how miserable he was, for he couldn't even eat what the pigs ate, and then he thought of the abundance in the house of his father.  Thus, he no longer insisted on depending on his own strength, because he would do better if he had gone home and served as his father's servant, and his hearted started to turnaround.  The Bible says that "for the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom," and God's weakness would be much stronger than men's strength.  Do you know that God still loves you, He is waiting for you, and He totally accepts you?  It's just like the younger son returning home, even though he was dirty and smelly, his father immediately hugged and kissed him.  In the same way, God still loves us, and He's willing to accept us just as we are.  As soon as we humbly come to Him, His love will come upon us.   Second, the younger son was determined to turn back to God, as he wanted to get up and go.  He struggled in his heart but also made up his mind.  When the younger son was on his way home, his heart might have been struggling, for he wasn't sure how his father will treat him, so he might have been pacing slower and slower.  It was a surprise to him that his father came out his home and hugged him, then once again gave his all the best things.  He might have thought that it he had known, he would have returned home earlier, and didn't have to wander around and suffer through loneliness and rejection.  If we had known that Father God loved us and wanted to help us so much, we would have turned back to God earlier instead of facing life's obstacles alone.  The younger son's determination to return home let him experience once again the grace of Father God.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to humble yourself like the younger son, to once again turn back to God, and to enjoy all the grace of Father God?     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are filled with mercy and compassion; you have never changed, and your grace has never changed.  Please help us to have a soft heart like the younger son, and have the determination to turn back to you to experience your love.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!