Just a thought by coppi

Prodigal……“a person who leaves home and behaves recklessly, but later makes a repentant return.”

“In the prodigal son in Luke 15, the father greeted him with love.  His older brother with contempt and anger. I ask-who would you prefer to greet you when you returned home after wasting your life away?”

I have read Luke 15 many times and have heard sermon’s on it many times too.  I love the way the prodigal son was forgiven by his father, but I never thought much about the elder brother except he was not pleased with the way his father welcomed back his wayward son.

After reading the quote above about who you would prefer to welcome you back the father or angry brother, Luke 15 echoed something I never had given much thought about.  I certainly would not want the older brother, since I was raised in a legalistic church, I thought God was my angry brother.  I remember a time when I was attending a bible school, Christian Word Ministries, a friend of mind and I were talking about how we certainly wanted to go to heaven, when she said to me “Coppi, you and I, will never relax about getting in the pearly gates until we hear them slammed behind us”!  We both laughed, but to be honest, there was great truth in that statement.  I have come a long way since that time in my life – Why?  I have turned from just listening to different ministers who taught fear in lieu of grace and started reading the Bible myself picking out the many scriptures on grace and love.  I have journalized my true emotions to Jesus and prayed for Him to show His love for me.  It’s amazing how many scriptures there are on grace and love.  In fact, that is the reason Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again so that we may live eternally with him.  He became that prodigal son’s father who ran out to meet his wayward son with love and grace.  He told his servants  “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate.”  That is grace wrapped in forgiveness.  Nope, I do not want the Elder brother to welcome me – I want my father who will enfold me in His love and grace and say “welcome home, Coppi, my wayward child”.