Daily Devotional 8-5-26
The Father Who Runs
Reading: Luke 15:20-24 -- “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. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Devotional: The father does not wait on the porch with crossed arms. He sees his son while he is still a long way off, which means he had been watching and waiting. That detail changes everything. Grace is not reluctant. It does not make you grovel at the door before it cracks open. It runs toward you. The word translated as compassion in this passage carries the idea of something moving deep within the body, a gut-level, overwhelming response. This is how God responds to a returning heart. He is not indifferent to your return. He is moved by it. You are not sneaking back. You are being sprinted toward.
Reflection Question: Have you been approaching God as though He is reluctant to receive you? How does the image of the running father challenge that assumption?
Reading: Luke 15:20-24 -- “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. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Devotional: The father does not wait on the porch with crossed arms. He sees his son while he is still a long way off, which means he had been watching and waiting. That detail changes everything. Grace is not reluctant. It does not make you grovel at the door before it cracks open. It runs toward you. The word translated as compassion in this passage carries the idea of something moving deep within the body, a gut-level, overwhelming response. This is how God responds to a returning heart. He is not indifferent to your return. He is moved by it. You are not sneaking back. You are being sprinted toward.
Reflection Question: Have you been approaching God as though He is reluctant to receive you? How does the image of the running father challenge that assumption?
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