Today we return to the Father’s house, realizing that no matter how far we have run or how much we have wasted, His arms are still open and His best robe is ready even if you are covered in the world’s muck and mire.
Featured Scripture and Commentary
“Luke 15:20 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.”
Do you feel like the Word is inaccessible, the Bible weighs 1000 lbs? the closest you can get to the Lord is a day at the beach? the only hymns you can hear are sung
by crickets? you have no right to ask a favor but you know you need a favor of God? are you torn like an internal tug of war between sin and righteousness? there are so many
wrong roads and one right one and the right one seems the very most hardest terrain to navigate and negotiate from where you are? are you stuck with no way back home? do the lyrics of this
song by Zeb of Virginia Beach Church seem to sum it up for you? It came to be today not because it is my story but because the Lord knows I will share it and maybe help someone else find
their way back home.
MUDDY RIVER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
buried in the muck and mire bathing in the devil’s fire
so covered in muck and so unatoned so far away from my home
chorus:
i bathe in the muddy river of self righteousness
i’m submerged deep within my sin
i swim in the murky waters
Lord will you ever take me back again?
can i ever clean my act? will righteousness ever welcome me back?
in the darkness where is the light?
Lord rescue me from my self inflicted plight
I give up the fight
but still..
chorus
bridge:
Lord I have driven a wedge I have betrayed your covenant pledge
I have build a wall so high i have wasted days and wasted nights
chorus
Lord next time I come up for air Show me a sign that you still care
even if no sign I see I pray that you will welcome me
but for now…
chorus
That is all I have for you today as a preamble for the relevant scripture which can change your mind, your heart, your life. Except this to meditate on:
“The fear of the Lord drives you back to Him. The fear of sin drives you away.” (Thanks to Nate Salas of “Wise Disciple” YouTube channel for that perspective)
LIFE-CHANGING CORROBORATING SCRIPTURE
Psalm 103:8–14, Isaiah 1:18, Micah 7:19, Ephesians 2:4–5, 1 John 1:9, Joel 2:13, Zephaniah 3:17
“Psalm 103:8–14 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever… For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
“Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.””
“Micah 7:19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
“Ephesians 2:4–5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
“1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
“Joel 2:13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
“Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
The story of the Prodigal Son is not just about a boy who left. It is about a Father who waited. And then, shockingly, “ran” to receive him.
In that culture, dignified men did not run. It was undignified. It exposed their legs. It invited ridicule. But the Father didn’t care about dignity. He cared about his son.
Lessons from the Pigpen:
1. Sin Promises Freedom but Delivers Slavery:The son thought leaving home meant liberty. He found himself feeding pigs—a job so degrading for a Jew that it was the ultimate rock bottom. Sin always takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay.
2. Repentance is a Change of Mind, Not Just Regret:The son didn’t just miss the food; he realized his broken relationship with his father. He said, I will get up and go to my father.Repentance is turning your feet toward Home.
3. The Father Was Watching:While he was still a long way off…The Father hadn’t moved on. He hadn’t given up. He was scanning the horizon every day. God is not waiting to punish you; He is waiting to welcome you.
4. Grace Covers Shame:The son had a rehearsed speech: Make me like one of your hired servants.He expected punishment. Instead, he got a robe (righteousness), a ring (authority/sonship), and sandals (freedom—slaves went barefoot). The Father didn’t let him finish his apology. Grace interrupted shame.
5. The Older Brother’s Trap:Don’t forget the older brother. He stayed home but had a distant heart. He served out of duty, not love. He was angry at grace. Many believers are “older brothers”—obedient outwardly but bitter inwardly, judging those who return to God after failing. Both sons were lost; one in rebellion, one in self-righteousness.
Where are you today? Are you in the pigpen, thinking you’re too dirty to come home? Or are you in the yard, judging others while missing the Father’s heart?
It doesn’t matter. The Father is running. Drop your pride. Drop your shame. Run to Him.
PRAYER FOR WHOMSOEVERS
Father, I come home. Forgive me for wandering. Forgive me for thinking I could find satisfaction away from You. Thank You for watching for me. Thank You for running to me. Cover me in Your righteousness. Restore my joy. Help me to extend this same grace to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
