Steadfast Love and the Prodigal Son

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

  • God’s love never ceases: It has never changed in the past and will never change in the future. God doesn’t love us more when we succeed or do a good deed, and He doesn’t love us less when we fail, or fall into sin. We come home to God by believing He is loving and willing to accept us. God’s love is like the father’s love in the parable of the prodigal son. Just like that Father, God is still willing to accept us and include us into His family, when we leave our own way of doing things and come home to him.
  • God’s mercies never come to an end: When God forgives us, He adopts us into His family. He isn’t just being kind to us on a one-time basis. He will not wake up tomorrow and say, “Okay that’s it. The visit is over. Pack your bags and move out!” When God receives us into His family He says, “This my son, was dead, but now he is alive!” You see, even when the prodigal was spiritually dead to his father, he was still considered a son. Now he has come home, that dead relationship became a living one. Our living relationship to God begins by our believing in our Father’s mercy because of the cross of Jesus. The blood of Jesus has paid the penalty of our sins forever and we don’t have to be afraid that God will ever change His mind.
  • Great is Your Faithfulness: We learn to be faithful to others, by seeing how faithful God has been to us. The prodigal came home thinking that he was going to work for his dad and live in the servant’s quarters. But his father had a different plan. He was given a welcome home party and then invited to come live back home. In that same way, we don’t work for God all week while living in the servant’s quarters and then go visit our dad once a week at His place on Sunday. Just like the father in the parable, God’s plan is for us to wake up every morning in His house, come down to breakfast at His table and spend our day, every day with Him! What an amazing, loving and faithful God we serve!

No Such Thing as Bad Ice Cream!

“There’s no such thing as bad ice cream!,” is our friend George’s favorite sayings (and he stays skinny!). George will take chocolate or vanilla, strawberry or peach. Whether it is on a cone a cup or a milkshake, he is ready to sit down and take a moment to enjoy it. I think it would be safe to say that George delights in ice cream. When the writer of today’s verse tells us that he delights in God’s word, I am reminded of George. It makes me realize that no matter the situation that is handed to me this morning, that I can continue to delight in the promises of God. In fact I think we all could agree that, “There is no such thing as a bad promise of God!” Every promise is perfect, pure, eternal and though sometimes hard to swallow, they are always sweet in the end! Has God given you some special promises? Do you have a favorite?

Quiet Sunday Thoughts- Selah

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
Selah. Psalm 46:10-11 NKJV

“Selah…The pause is not an exclamation of dismay, but merely a rest in music. We do not suspend our song in alarm, but tune our harps again with deliberation amid the tumult of the storm.” Charles Spurgeon

For our quiet Sunday thoughts I am sharing a song by Lindsay Brackin of Sounds Like Reign. We used to sing the words of this Psalm in church but I have not heard it for many years. I pray that you may find a moment of quiet stillness and a Selah in your busy schedule today. May the words of the Lord enlighten your eyes, make you wise in His service and convert your soul to rest in Him and trust in His word forever. Selah