Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Luke 15:12

When God Celebrates

When God Celebrates

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But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his fee: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and be merry:  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.  And they began to be merry.

Luke 15:22-24

According to Christ, God the Father manifests Himself in various ways.  He loves His erring children enough to let them go; enough to look for their return; enough to run to meet them; and now, enough to celebrate their arrival.  Here is the evidence of the gracious character of God.  We hear Christ describing the father’s behavior.  The son was ready to become a servant in the household.  His whole attitude of entitlement had vanished like steam under the warm sunlight of the father’s love.  The father, in contrast to how he could have behaved, gives orders to the servants to, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry.’  The father celebrated the return of his errant son.  This shows us, from the mouth of Christ Himself, how much God loves us.  This is the Father’s love on display in the most graphic way imaginable.  This draws our hearts out after Him in the most endearing way.  Today, we celebrate with God at the return of His erring children, and we magnify the God, Who is so good as to celebrate their return.

Our Good and Loving God,
we rejoice at Your kind and gracious welcome
to us as we come to You.
We praise You that You celebrate our return
along with all of those who love You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
‘Give Me’

‘Give Me’

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‘Give Me’

And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.

Luke 15:12

We come to consider, for the next few days, what may be, for some, a very familiar story. Christ employed it in His teaching to both instruct, and convict. He tells the story of a gracious father who has two sons, the younger of whom approaches him with the words of our text for today, ‘And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” So he divided to them his livelihood.’ Here we find the epitome of selfishness, and the antithesis of Christ-likeness.  The summary of it lies in the words, ‘give me.’ All sin exhibits the characteristic of selfishness. Cast an eye over the Ten Commandments and it is very apparent that very breaking of the Law of God involves some display of selfish behavior, and is the product of selfish thinking. This lad was preeminently all about himself. By contrast, we behold Christ. Christ is the Utterly Selfless One. His will is to do the Will of His Father. His work is to ‘be about His Father’s business,’ and ‘ to finish His Work.’ His complete fulfillment of the Law of God in precept by His Perfect Active Obedience, demonstrates His absolute Selflessness. Beyond that, He further demonstrates His Selflessness by His Perfect Passive Obedience by His Sacrifice on the cross.  That He did so for the sake of others, further underscores the fact of His Selflessness. Let us take some time today to observe the selfish behavior of this young man, and to contrast it with the selfless behavior of Christ.

Our Utterly Selfless Savior,
We praise You that You are the Great Pattern
for us who believe in You.
We rejoice that Your behavior provides for us the Divine Template
for how we think and what we do.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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