Do you ever feel like you have wandered too far from God? Maybe you aren't sure what His reaction would be if you returned to Him. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef dives into the story of the prodigal son, revealing God's heart for His wayward children.
If you would like more insight into today’s devotional topic, listen to Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon The God Who Pursues Us, Part 3: LISTEN NOW
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] the Way.
[00:00:08] He Welcomes Us Home by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:12] Have you ever considered that your true home is heaven in the presence of our Holy Father?
[00:00:18] It is not God who is distant.
[00:00:21] Instead, it's you and I, and that's why Christ came, to bring us home.
[00:00:25] In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus makes this plain.
[00:00:30] It's the younger son who leaves for a distant country while the father remains at home.
[00:00:35] The distance between them is caused by the son's selfishness.
[00:00:39] The father has not moved.
[00:00:41] The son made the mistake of wanting the father's blessing more than a relationship with his father.
[00:00:47] When he asked for his share of the inheritance, he was essentially telling his father, I don't
[00:00:52] want you.
[00:00:52] I only want what you can give me.
[00:00:56] Can you think of a more hurtful thing to say?
[00:00:59] But this is what many of us say to our Heavenly Father.
[00:01:02] We want his blessings, but we don't want to take the time to really get to know his heart.
[00:01:09] And so, like the prodigal son, we find ourselves in a far country.
[00:01:14] God seems so distant, and the blessings without the father do not bring the lasting happiness we
[00:01:21] had hoped.
[00:01:22] When the prodigal in Jesus' parable was at his lowest point, the Bible says he came to
[00:01:28] his senses.
[00:01:29] In other words, he had a moment of clarity.
[00:01:32] He remembered his true home and how good his father was to him.
[00:01:37] This is why we can never give up hope, no matter how lost someone may be.
[00:01:43] We never know when God will cause someone to long for their true home in a way that leads
[00:01:48] to repentance and a relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:01:52] The prodigal son wasn't wrong about his father's kindness.
[00:01:56] Though he planned to return home as a mere servant, the father wouldn't hear of it.
[00:02:00] He loved his son too much for that and restored all the rights and privileges as a son in good
[00:02:07] standing.
[00:02:07] This is the miracle of the gospel.
[00:02:11] Though we deserve death, God welcomes us home.
[00:02:15] And though we come as servants, he makes us sons and daughters.
[00:02:19] To all those wandering in the far country, God reaches out and says, it's time to come home.
[00:02:29] Let's pray together.
[00:02:31] Father, thank you for making us your children.
[00:02:33] Help us to share about the wonders of your love and lead more prodigals to come home to
[00:02:39] you as you call.
[00:02:41] We pray this in the name of Jesus.
[00:02:44] Amen.
[00:02:46] If today's devotional encouraged you, we'd love to hear about it.
[00:02:50] Leave a review and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.
[00:02:54] My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Youssef.
[00:02:59] To learn more, visit ltw.org today.
[00:03:03] Thank you.