Loving Father -Two Sons

In Luke 15:11-32, there is a popular story about a father who had two sons. Most people have heard it at some point in their lives.  I have read it several times and have understood it's basic lesson about the forgiveness of the father towards the wayward son who went out and spent all his worth in wild, rebellious living. There is a tendency to regard the older son as a  judgmental, self-righteous sort.

In actuality, both sons were loved. The younger son was foolish and self-centered. However, when he indulged his own self-interests, he learned a hard lesson about his fortune and his father. He meekly returned home realizing that his father had provided so much he hadn't recognized in his immature state.

The older son reacted to his return in self-righteous anger. He couldn't understand why all the hoopla and celebration was focused on his younger brother. This older brother also had a lesson to learn and at the root of it was the love of the father towards him. It wasn't his doing everything right that endeared him to the father; it was his sonship.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Luke 11:32

Both sons had focused on themselves, both eventually learned how much their father loved them.  All of us, at different times in our lives, have lived out life similar to both sons. All of us can probably relate to both sons. We may swing to one side of the pendulum and then to the other. The point of this story is the incredible love of the father toward his sons.

The father couldn't do much but pray for the younger son while he was out there in crazy land. When that son came to his realize the grass was not greener out in 'lala' land, the father's heart just burst with thanksgiving upon his return home.

The father could do much more for the son that stayed, but that son hadn't realized it and therefore he too had some maturing to do in recognizing the grace in his life.

Sometimes at junctures in our lives we need to ask ourselves, which son looks like me? I can relate to both sons as I look back through the years. The greatest lesson of all about God is to realize and recognize the love that the Father has toward each of us.  The greatest problems involve not seeing the love. Looking at the life of Jesus Christ grounds us in the recognition of God's love and true righteousness.

Our Spiritual Engine

Sandwiched in between I Corinthians 12 and I Corinthians 14, there is a much-quoted and maybe misunderstood section of scripture. In chapter 12, the 'spiritual matters' in the new creation are illuminated. Chapter 14 contains the practical use of the spiritual functions in the community. In between, at the heart of this whole section, is the love of God spelled out in chapter 13.

These chapters did not fall together haphazardly. The gift of holy spirit that we have been given as a result of the new birth is the love of God shed throughout our beings. It is not just a worldly love as verse 3 indicates:

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love of God), it profiteth me nothing. I Corinthians 13:3

There is nothing wrong with doing good works, but it is important to know the cart does not go before the horse. Work does not come before love has established that work. The engine behind any spiritual good that we do is the originator of the gift, our Father, God.

In the Corinthians group, all those who received the gift of holy spirit could operate that gift.  It wasn't just relegated to a chosen few. Paul wrote about how they were to keep things in order among such a spiritually endowed group in these three chapters.

In chapter 13:4-8 sits a figure of speech called Asyndeton where several things are listed together and at the end of the list is an all-encompassing summation: 'The love of God never faileth.'

4 Charity  suffereth long (long-tempered), and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: Corinthians 13: 4-8a

This list is not something we break apart into individual bite size pieces, study and try to incorporate into our actions. This is something that emanates as we carry out the love that God powers in our hearts to do the works he would have us to do.

If, say, "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things"  or "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth" is taken out of the mix, what have you got? The 'things' listed here refer to the things that God provides as described in his Word. If the Word is not there, what then is there to rejoice in?

I Corinthians 12,13,14 Gift of Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 12 - Describes the operation of the gift of holy spirit

1 Corinthians 13 - L♥ve of G♥d that has been shed abroad in our ♥♥

1 Corinthians 14 -  Order and respect at gatherings of believing people

The Love of God is God is Love is God

^{So often when we refer to the love of God, we define His love by what we know from past experiences, or by definitions man has developed from his own vantage point.  The greatest source of what God's love is comes from God, himself.} 

We love him, because he first loved us. I John 4:19

God's love is unmistakeable but there are many born again people who have not fully realized how much God loves them. The reason for this is because of misinformation, mis-teaching and wily forces of manipulation. God, however, has not left us without witness (Romans 1:19, Isaiah 44:24, Acts 17:24-31, Psalm 19, Job 38-41) :

Acts 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

God's love cannot be defined by man, the media, psychologists, scientists, and even theologians if they haven't recognized it for themselves. It is impossible to love others the way God would have us to love, if we don't know God's love.


The first step is becoming a child of God. Next, it is vitally important that one continues to get to know God.  The third step is believing it.

 I John 4:1b Beloved, let us love one another:for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 

I John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

When we recognize how much God loves us, then it overflows to others. It is genuine love based on truth. It is not messy, sentimental, human love. We get to the point that even when people act weirdly or hurtfully towards us, we can still love them because we know they just haven't seen or refused to believe how much God loves them. Some have filled the gaps in their hearts with other forms of of caulk to keep them busy.  That doesn't mean we put up with nonsense, God's standards are love.  God, in His infinite wisdom, shows us in His word and by holy spirit how to personally deal with such scenarios and that's love too! That kind of love is fearless!