So often, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’( Luke 15:11-24 ). We have walked away from our Father’s House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from God, yet still He draws near to us. The Lord is at work in our hearts. He is bringing us ‘to our senses’. He is reminding us of His love. He is drawing us back to Himself. In love, He is calling us home again. He is speaking to our hearts. He is saying to us, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’. As His love reaches our hearts, ‘the prodigal son’ becomes ‘the returning son’: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. ‘Bring me back, let me come back, for you are the Lord my God!’( Jeremiah 31:18 ). So often, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’( Luke 15:11-24 ). We have walked away from our Father’s House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from God, yet still He draws near to us. The L...
"Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”" (Genesis 27:22). This is a picture of deception. It's a reminder that we need to pray for discernment. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns us: " Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Paul warns us against pepole who "have a form of godliness, but deny its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). While we must never forget Jesus' words, " Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matthew 7:1), we must take seriously the call to distinguish between good and evil. This is a mark of spiritual maturity: "S olid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:14).