Live The Easter Message All Year

This verse below is a great comfort, for those who grew up in a church where maybe they felt the guilt of not measuring up or feeling that they were not good enough for God, this verse speaks to God’s patience and His desire for us. I was surprised when I first heard this verse, surprised by the overwhelming grace of God.

God’s Patience

“The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NET)

There is another parable that tells us what the love of the Father is like. The story of the lost son. To paraphrase this parable in the Gospel of Luke, the father in the story has two sons, the older son has

been diligent in obeying his father working for the family business, the younger son, however, asks for half of his inheritance early and leaves home, wastes all his money on his own pleasures and when a famine hits, he finds himself destitute and takes a job as a hired hand feeding pigs, wishing he could even eat the husks he was feeding the pigs. He comes to his senses, determines that he will go back to his father and ask just to be like one of the servants, even they have more than enough food. But when he is walking back home something surprising happens…

The Lost Son Comes Home

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: 19. I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20. And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23. and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: 24. for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:18-24 (ASV)

This parable that are the words of Jesus tell us of the compassion and grace God the Father has for us.

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