God Wins our Hearts Through Love
The prodigal son parable is a perfect example of how God seeks to win our hearts to Him (Luke 15). Jesus portrays the father (God) as waiting for his son every day anticipating his return. The Father longs to see his son and embrace him. When the father reaches his son, he throws his arms around him, and greets him with a kiss of love (1 Peter 5:14). The Father does not question his son, instead, he unconditionally forgives him and accepts him back into the house. The father does not even let his son finish his sorrowful confession.
The father running to his son, greeting him with a kiss and ordering the celebration is a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father feels towards His children that come back to Him. God infinitely loves us and waits for us to repent. He does not want any to perish (Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Corinthians 3:15).
God draws our hearts by His eternal love through the work of the Holy Spirit. God may use His word, people, events or even personal convictions to speak to our hearts. And when the sinner is restored back to the Father, the grace of God and His mercy flow through his life (Psalm 40:2; 103:4). Sinners receive forgiveness and a new heart. They become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:18-19).
The father brings his best garment and a ring for the son’s hand and shoes for his feet. These represent what we receive in Christ when we surrender to Him: the robe of the Redeemer’s righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), the Spirit of adoption (Ephesians 1:5), and feet that walk in God’s path (Ephesians 6:15). God’s unconditional love wins the sinner back to Him “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
