This Is How Your Heavenly Father Loves You

"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." Luke 15:20.

You and I have nothing to boast about our love for Him but we have all the reason to boast about His love for each one of us. Why do I say so? This is because our feelings are unstable and our love for Him often fluctuates. Maybe you are on fire to pray today but the next day you might feel like dragging yourself to pray. Sometimes you feel like reading the Bible but sometimes you just feel so heavy to even open the Bible. Human feelings always fluctuate. But His love for us will never fluctuate, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." Psalms 136:1. It is all about His love for us because He initiated it first, "We love him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19.

When the Bible says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."Hebrews 13:8; it is actually saying that God's nature will never change nor fluctuate due to any situation or circumstance. Nothing that you have done will influence Him to change His character and nature. If this is your understanding today, "God is angry with me because I have done this, He is going to punish me",then I would say, "You are wrong, my friend". You might say, "Benjamin, are you sure that God won't punish us? Then why does the Bible mention God disciplining His people?" Please don't get me wrong, I'm not against God's disciplines in our life. God will discipline us because He loves us so much. But He won't break your legs and hands purposely to teach you something and discipline you. That's not the heart of our Heavenly Father and that is not His method to discipline you and me.

The Lord has shown us the heart of our Heavenly Father in the story of the Prodigal (lost) son (Read Luke 15:11-32). After the lost son had spent everything by living a wild and a sinful life, he decided to return back to the father, " I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." Luke 15:17-19. At this moment what did the father do? Did the father reject him? Did the father wait for the right moment to punish Him? No, the father showed his greatest love to his sinful long lost son. The Bible says while the son was still a far way off, the father ran to him and embraced him with loving kindness, "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." Luke 15:20.

When the prodigal son returned to his father after walking through a prideful and sinful journey of life, the father welcomed the son with open and loving arms without a word of condemnation. The father even celebrated his son's return by having a big party and his heart was overwhelmed with great joy (Read Luke 15:1-32). Today, your Heavenly Father is not standing outside with many accusations against you but every day without fail He is waiting with open arms and saying to you, my loving son and daughter,"Neither do I condemn you…" John 8:11. Never delay but gladly return to Your Heavenly Father, He accepts you as who you are.

Dearest, this is how Your Heavenly Father loves you. He is not out there waiting to punish you and destroy you but He is waiting for you each day to embrace you with His love and to give you a hope and a future. All He wants from you is to return back to Him.