Loving You Back
From Crazy Love
by Pastor Nave on March 12, 2015
“Loving You Back” is the third, and final segment in the Crazy Love series, which focuses on the story of the Prodigal son found in Luke 15:11–32. The Prodigal son walked away from what he knew was right and away from the shelter and safety of his father’s house. Many of us have made the same choice in life. We’ve left a life of serving the Lord and obeying His Word to live out in the world. We’ve left our first love (Revelation 2:4).
Today we need to be reminded that no matter what we’ve done, God has never stopped loving us. God is trying to find those of us who are lost to His Kingdom, ways, commandments, love, shelter, and blessings. God thinks we’re worth too much to leave us alone and to give up on us. He sees value in all of our lives! He is trying to love us back home to Him.
Jesus shared the story of the Prodigal son because it was well known during this time in history. In this story, Jesus illustrates three key concepts of why people walk away.
The son looked at the riches inside his father’s house, but then looked to the world. His vision was drawn from “here” (inside) to “there” (outside). Luke 15:13 says, “…and [the son] took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living” (KJV, emphasis added). He didn’t realize that once he made it there (outside), the world would utterly destroy everything he had and eventually destroy him as well. The world and our culture will only take from us—it has nothing to give that is better than what God has in store for us. God has a better life for us here under the shelter of His arms than out there in the world.
Even if we’ve squandered our blessings out in the world, when we turn back to God, all of those promised blessings are still there with Him. We can’t let the world skew our perspective (Galatians 4:9); out there is not better! Better is one day with the Lord than thousands elsewhere (Psalm 84:10).
After the Prodigal son had wasted away his living, he was hired to feed pigs. He was so destitute, and so hungry, that he longed for the food the pigs were eating (Luke 15:14–15). The son had accepted this as his lifestyle; there was no escape for him. When we experience spiritual failure in our life, it becomes difficult to walk back toward God. We’ve either accepted where we’re at, feel like we can’t be forgiven, or we have too much pride.
Scripture tells us the Prodigal son “came to himself” (Luke 15:17) and realized that he needed to get back to his father’s house. We need to allow God to bring us back to our senses! He can help us realize we too are living the wrong life, and get back to His house.
When the son made up his mind to return home, Scripture tells us that while he was a great way off, his father saw him (Luke 15:20). In order for the father to see his son a ways away, he had to be looking for him! The father ran to meet his son, embraced him, clothed him, and ordered for the household to celebrate (Luke 15:22–24).
God is looking for us, and wants us to return back to him. The moment we take one step in His direction, He will come running to us with His love. He will accept us back into His fold with open arms, and restore unto us everything we had originally given up. We will immediately reap His love, shelter, and innumerable blessings.
The Prodigal son had a brother. When the brother heard the merriment in the household, he asked a servant what had happened. When it was revealed that the brother had returned and the household, and his father, were celebrating, he got mad (Luke 15:25–28).
People sometimes drift away from God because of other people. When we’ve failed God, and try to make an effort to reconcile ourselves with God, we may think there are people who will discount us. The devil has tried to paint a picture that everyone in the world wants get in the way of God trying to do a work in us. But, when a sinner repents and returns back to the Lord, the church will celebrate with them! The church is a type of Christ. If Jesus is loves us all the way back to Him, the church will love us when we return as well!
In Scripture, Jesus did not only tell the story of the Prodigal son. He also shared a parable about a Shepherd who lost a sheep, searched until he found it again, and brought it back into the fold. Jesus also taught about a woman who lost a coin, and swept her house until she found it again. Jesus loves enough to go after just one—He loves us enough to bring us back. God just wants us to come back to the Kingdom. Let’s go home.
