Devotion 10 - Parable of the Loving Father (2)

Devotion 10 - Parable of the Loving Father 

(2)

The elder brother, although he stays with his father, never understood the heart, character and nature of his father and that had severely affected his self-image. He was with the father, but sadly, he did not develop an intimate relationship with him, and hence, he was not able to establish a healthy identity.

He had no confidence in his father's generosity and love. His father had made it clear that everything was his to use. However, his own perception of the father had prevented him from enjoying the father's generosity.  His “orphan spirit” had resulted in a poverty mentality.

He manifested his orphan spirit in a different way, full of jealousy and unkindness. Because He was not intimately connected to his father, he could not comprehend the love, compassion, and graciousness of his father. He couldn’t understand his father’s lavish grace and forgiveness. He never saw his father’s grief and hurt when he was deprived of the younger son; thus, he does not share the same compassion the father had for his younger brother. He was, in fact, angry and jealous of his younger brother instead of missing him. When we do not have the “father heart of God” in us, we lose the love for people, we envy and are jealous over others’ success and feel that they do not deserve it.

The chilling part is that we can be at ‘home’ and yet still have the orphan spirit in our heart.

One son was too involved in satisfying his own desires, while the other son was too involved in working for the father, out of duty and not love. Likewise, we can be working hard for Him, but our hearts are not connected to Him.

There is a major difference between knowing that God is our father and believing that He is a caring father to us. For more than two thousand years, millions of Christians all over the world have uttered The Lord’s Prayer countless times, “Our Father in heaven…” but yet are unable to enjoy the deep intimate experience of its relationship.

1 Jn.4:19 – “We love Him because He first loved us.”

 

We love Him because (we understand that) He first loved us.  We cannot love God with all our heart until we know He loves us with all His heart. We also cannot love others beyond the capacity that we have allowed God to love us. Our love comes from His love.

Isaiah says that God loved us so much that he actually “tattooed a picture of us” on the palm of His hands.

Isa.49:15-16 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”

 Naked Jesus

Matt.27:35 – “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Lk.15:22 - “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”

 

Jesus was stripped naked when he was on the cross. He was made naked so He could pass on the robe of sonship to us. This was the robe of identity. In the parable, when the father put the “best robe” on his rebellious son, he was restoring him to his former status as son. Redemption and sonship go hand in hand. God redeems us so that He may adopt us as sons. The best way to cover our guilt and shame is to recognise that we are now ‘in Christ’ and are now clothed with His glory.

1 Jn.3:1- “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”

 

Jesus did not come just to save us; He came to replace our orphan spirit with His sonship spirit. The robe of righteousness is not only a shield that silences the accuser of the brethren, it is also a badge of authority, as it affirms our identity in the spiritual realm.

 

Consciousness of Our Relationship with the Father

Jn. 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

This verse is not just talking about knowledge which we have and acquire; but about having our eyes opened to a greater understanding of truth, having a comprehension in our spirit man, and the conscious decision to live it out on a daily basis.

In the Scripture, we can see that every time Jesus was challenged to prove His identity, He would always point to His relationship with God the Father. His identity was closely intertwined with the relationship with His father.

Jn.10:15 – “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father…”

 

Lk.10:22 – “No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Whenever the pharisees tried to discredit Him, Jesus would tell them He knew the Father and the Father knew Him. If Satan can get us to doubt our identity as sons and daughters of Father God, then we will continuously strive for approval and acceptance. Hence, it is vital that we learn from Jesus to get our identity from our relationship with our Father. This truth is the only antidote to the orphan spirit. It can only be received, not achieved. We need to learn how to receive this identity, and then consciously live up to it daily.