1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is about God's unwavering love 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 2: in spite of anything we do. We'll return with the 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 2: devotional after a brief message from our sponsors. God's Unwavering Love, 6 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 2: written and read by Cindy Mcmanumon when he was still 7 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 2: a long way off, his father saw him and felt 8 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 2: compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 9 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 2: Luke fifteen, twenty New American Standard Bible. Do you ever 10 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: feel that you have disappointed God too much for him 11 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 2: to give you another chance? Do you fear returning to 12 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 2: Him because of the places you've been or the things 13 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: you've done? Jesus told a moving story in Luke fifteen 14 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 2: about God's tender forgiveness toward his loved ones when they 15 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 2: go astray. We call it the Story of the Prodigal Son. 16 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: The word prodigal literally means one who spends money in 17 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 2: a reckless, extravagant way. In this story, a younger son 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 2: asked his father for his inheritance early Now in Jewish custom, 19 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 2: that would be the equivalent of telling his father he 20 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 2: wished he was dead. He then took his share of 21 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 2: what was still legally his father's and went to a 22 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: far away land and squandered his entire inheritance on foolish, reckless, 23 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 2: raunchy living. He was living high on the hog, rich 24 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 2: with money and friends, until he found himself sleeping with 25 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: the pigs, penniless and alone, starving, and upon realizing he 26 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: was envying the pigs for the slop they got to eat, 27 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 2: he decided to return home and asked if he could 28 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 2: be his father's hired hand, then at least he'd be 29 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: fed better than pigs and have a place to sleep 30 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 2: among his father's servants. It must have been a long, 31 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 2: grueling journey home for this man, who by this time 32 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: was smelly, scrawny, and had been homeless for quite some time. 33 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 2: A long walk home without food, water, proper clothing, or 34 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 2: even good shoes only increased his shame and humiliation. Perhaps 35 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 2: he had a speech prepared at admission of his wrongdoing, 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 2: a pleading for his father to consider taking him in 37 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 2: as a servant. Or maybe he just intended to fall 38 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 2: in shame at his father's feet and begged to even 39 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 2: be heard. But before he could utter a word, his 40 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 2: father surprised, shocked, and overwhelmed him with the unexpected greeting 41 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: he received. His father's pride was at stake when the 42 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,119 Speaker 2: return of his son, whom he should consider dead to him, 43 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 2: how he reacted would set an example to other Jewish 44 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 2: families when their rebellious sons acted with such disrespect and contempt. 45 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 2: Yet this father, upon seeing from a distance that the 46 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 2: scraggly man making his way up the road was not 47 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: some homeless derelict or demon possessed wanderer, but his long 48 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: lost son, picked up the ends of his robe and 49 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,239 Speaker 2: ran to meet him. Before the shame son could ever 50 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 2: utter a word to express the humiliation on his heart, 51 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 2: his father embraced him, held on to him like there 52 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 2: was no tomorrow, and then ordered his servants to give 53 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 2: his son a robe representing his position as sonship and 54 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 2: a ring indicating his authority once again as an estate holder. 55 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 2: The father then ordered that plans be made to celebrate 56 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 2: the homecoming of his wayward son. They literally threw a party. 57 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 2: This son, who was once thought dead, was now alive. 58 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: He had returned home. There was no punishment, no lecture, 59 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: no shaming, no rebuke, and no harsh words just grace, forgiveness, 60 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 2: abundant love. I used to think that story was about 61 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 2: the warning to not rebel, the consequences of disobedience, and 62 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: the importance of repentance. But the story Jesus told isn't 63 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 2: so much about the rebellious child, but about the patient, persevering, 64 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: forgiving love of a father, the one who wouldn't think 65 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 2: for a second to relegate his child from heir to servant. 66 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 2: His child's position in the family didn't change through disrespectful 67 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 2: actions or highness circumstances. Only the son's heart had originally 68 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 2: changed and become calloused toward his father. His father's love 69 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 2: for him, however, had never wavered. Intersecting faith in life, 70 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 2: do you realize that, no matter what you and I do, 71 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 2: we can't undo God's love for us. We can't position 72 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 2: ourselves out of our inheritance in Christ. We can't disappoint 73 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 2: Him to the point that he cancels us, or unfriends us, 74 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 2: or relegates us to outside the house status and lets 75 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 2: us visit once or twice a year at Easter or Christmas. 76 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 2: The door to his home is always open. In fact, 77 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 2: it never closes to us. Once we've been allowed in 78 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 2: to dwell with him. Our door is the one we shut, 79 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,160 Speaker 2: the door to our hearts that causes him to stand 80 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 2: and knock and ask to come. In Revelation three twenty, 81 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 2: is the door of your heart constantly open to this 82 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 2: compassionate father. If you've been gone a while, would you 83 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 2: simply return to him and dwell with him continually? His 84 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 2: invitation to you has never expired, His patience has never 85 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 2: worn thin, his love has never undry. Be the one 86 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 2: who runs to him and experiences his loving embrace. Lord Jesus, 87 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 2: you have never allowed me to be a stranger to you. 88 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 2: May you never be a neglected guest in my heart 89 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 2: and home. Thank you for being the father to whom 90 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 2: I can run, even ever, trust, and always love. For 91 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 2: further reading, see Luke fifteen eleven through thirty two and 92 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 2: Jeremiah thirty one to three. And for more on growing 93 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 2: closer to your loving heavenly Father, see my book The 94 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 2: New Loneliness Devotional, Fifty Days to a Closer Connection with God. 95 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and 96 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,559 Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please 97 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: take a second to rate and review this podcast in 98 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: your favorite podcast app. So that more listeners like you 99 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faithfilled, inspirational podcasts, visit 100 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: us at lifeaudio dot com.