Happy Music in the House
"What's all the happy music," questioned the elder
brother as he came in from the fields. His brow dropped
with the sweat of a hard
days
work.
"Your brother
has come
home from a life of
sin, and your
father is
celebrating
with a party," responded a servant.
"What?! My
brother has squandered my father's money - he's lived with
the harlots and the
pigs! And now my
father celebrates?
This cannot be,"
bellowed the angry
son.
Refusing
to be a part of
the merriment, the
elder fumed as he paced
back and forth.
"I will not welcome my sinner brother back
home! I
refuse." he
repeated to himself.
Hearing of
his son's feelings the father came and
pleaded with him to
forgive his
brother and welcome him home.
"My
father," replied
the son, "All my
life I've served you.
I've never
disobeyed you
and yet you've never
treated me
like you're treating him."
You've always
been with
me my son," answered the
kind father. "Everything I have belongs to
you. But I am
compelled to celebrate
and be happy, for
your brother was
dead,
and is alive again! He was
lost,
and now he is found!"
Love compelled the
father to
forgive. True, the son
wasted inheritance the father gave. True, he
lived with
the harlots and finally
the pigs. But he also
came to his
senses.
Realizing his folly the
young man
returned to his father's house to be, at most
he hoped, a
hired
servant.
God the Father is so merciful that the
most
wicked sinner can be embraced by His wonderful love -
embraced into an eternity
of
Heavenly favor by One whose
kindness
and forgiveness
surpasses
understanding.
The son's return was
welcomed
by the open arms of a
loving father running to him. With
tears gushing from his eyes the father threw
his arms
around his wayward son and
kissed him.
"I have sinned against
you, my father.
I am not worthy to
be called your son,"
the prodigal
proclaimed.
"Quickly," announced the
father to the servant, "Restore my
son to his rightful
place."
God's gracious love is unmerited. No man's
work entitles him to this love filled with forgiveness.
The elder son
wrapped himself
in his father's work,
but never in
his father's
love.
No
matter
how much
religious work one may do, it will not forgive
sin. The
younger
son knew to return
to the father and confess his
sins. As
the father waited and
watched for
his son to return home,
so the Heavenly Father waits and
watches for
His wayward
children to
return to
Him.
Maybe you are one who needs to
return home.
With a heart full of
compassion the Lord is
waiting to run
and
gather you into His arms. Cry
out to
Him; He loves you. He will not turn you
away.
"For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son
that whosoever
believes in Him would
not perish,
but have everlasting
life." John
3:16