Forgiveness is the Key

~~~ Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 ~~~

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

We deserve things based mostly on our actions.

I am not sure that as a parent I could believe

 that my child would not deserve to be called my child.

The parable of the prodigal son is often heard because 

we need to see the picture of unconditional love.

We need to hear the words of the father.

We need to see the remorse of the son as he returns.

We need to hear the older son's words of resentment.

Parental love, sibling rivalry, and family connection

 is no different today than it was then.

Sometimes our kids are more like homing pigeons.

Coming home should be a safe place.

The son felt he no longer deserved to be called his father's son,

but the father felt his son deserved more.

The father felt his son deserved to be welcomed and forgiven.

This is what the older son could not grasp.

He could not understand that the celebration 

was nothing compared to the forgiveness.

Thank goodness God does not grant us forgiveness 

based on whether or not we deserve it.

If that were the case would any of us ever be forgiven?

On the flip side we should never feel that we deserve to be forgiven.

This is the challenge facing most of us...

Do we forgive when the other person does not deserve 

to be forgiven?

This is what God calls us to do.

This takes courage and determination.

As this second week of Lent comes to a close;

who in your life still needs to be forgiven?

I invite you to carefully consider that person whom you feel 

does not deserve your forgiveness.

Even if you do not see that person make 

the decision to forgive them today.

The father of the prodigal son forgave his son 

way before the son comes crawling home.

This is evident because of the 

swiftness with which he orders the celebration.

This is evident because the father rushes out to meet his son.

He does not wait for his son to reach the front door.

God is not waiting for you to come to him he is 

already coming out to meet you.

Forgiveness is not about deserving to be forgiven...

at least not with God.

The prodigal son also had to learn how to forgive himself...

he had to accept his father's open arms.

God wants us to have a future full of hope and happiness.

If you also want that for yourself, 

forgiveness is the key.

We are so Blessed with a God who forgives

whether or not we deserve it.

Return to him.

Peace.