When we look at the life of Jesus and his ministry of three and one half years, we see a process in which Jesus develops relationships with his disciples and the many followers that were around him. Relationships, whether it is with your friends, coworkers, family, spouses or with God himself, do not happen overnight. All relationships MUST BE CULTIVATED, much like a garden. Those of us who plant gardens understand the time we spend watering, fertilizing and weeding necessary to produce a good  “crop”. So, why are we unwilling to do the same to cultivate relationships?

John 14:7 says ““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”(NASB) 

Have you cultivated a relationship with Jesus? 

Understanding a father’s heart

Here is an example of the heart of a father:  I have two adult children, my daughter lives 40 mins away from me while my son lives 720 miles away. I love to have my children in my life and I want to be theirs. I want to laugh with them and I want to cry with them. As they go through life, I want  to be there to guide them and spend time with them. When I am apart from my children, I am miserable and I am merely an earthly father. 

God, too, longs for a relationship with each of His children and He offers a relationship that is better than anything we can even imagine. Yet we often think this is not possible. 

In Luke 15:11-32, we find the story of the prodigal son. In this story, this son is given his inheritance from his father and he proceeds to waste it on partying and living frivolously. Just like the son in this story, we too have been given opportunities and gifts by our Heavenly Father and we used them to gratify the wants and desires of our fleshly lives.

As the story continues, the son finds himself in dire circumstances.  It is during this time that the prodigal realizes his error. In his realization he believes he must return home but only as a servant not as a son. Many today have heard the call of the Father to return home but we believe, as the prodigal did, that we are not worthy to be considered the father’s child. 

As the son is returning home, we see the father watching for the son and when he sees the son, the father runs to him. The father hugs and kisses the filth-covered son who smelled of swine and proceeds to call to his servants saying, “bring the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; …bring the fattened calf…let us eat and be merry!” What was important to the father was that his child returned.The return of the son was so important that the filth and stench were not considered.  

There is significance to all these events. First,“the best robe” was a representation of the spiritual covering that was returned to the son. The “ring on his hand” represents the authority that had been given back to the son. The “sandals on his feet” were an acknowledgment that the prodigal was indeed a son, as servants do not wear sandals. Lastly, the “fattened calf”. The fattened calf was used as a sacrifice for sin in the old testament. The “fattened calf” is a symbol of forgiveness for the son thereby addressing his spiritual “unclean state” represented by the filth and stench. This is what God the Father wants us to understand.  We have lived our lives believing the lie that God can’t love us or what we have done cannot be forgiven. We believe that we must “clean up our acts” before God will look favorably on us. These are all lies to keep us from the father. Jesus was the “sin sacrifice” for all of us. Jesus will remove our filth and stench if we confess our sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior.   

It is time to cultivate a relationship with our Father in heaven.  No matter how much we like it…we must put aside everything that separates us from Him.The Father is waiting to greet us with open arms and to restore us into His family, but we must choose to come back to him. 

Seek the Father while He can be found

Isaiah 55:6-7 says ““Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

God has been speaking a consistent message, ”Return to the Father”. 

Just like a teacher in a class who tells his class “pay attention… If I repeat something … it is important.” God has been repeating “come to me”.  He is our loving Father. 

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 says, “Wherefore: ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you’. ‘I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

John 1:12-13 says “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

God has revealed that He has a plan for this world and we have a part in it. Ephesians 1:11-14 says, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” God wants to lift the weight we are carrying. 

God wants a Father-child relationship with us and He will meet us where we are then He will walk us through the minefield of life safely. Psalm 37:23-26 says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

Like the prodigal, return to the Father!  Fall into His arms and let Him love you and restore you. 

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