Cru 17: Ideas For Making Your Life CountSample

Love and Forgiveness for Everyone

The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most well-known Bible stories. Many focus on the father’s love and forgiveness toward his wayward younger son. We do not spend much time thinking about the older brother - and if we do, it is often to criticize him for his bad attitude. The truth is, it is easy to become like the older brother. When we measure success or godliness by what we do and how hard we work, we can easily become critical toward others. Pastor Rich Perez asks us to examine ourselves in light of what we see God doing around us.

Following Jesus is revolutionary. Each of us is miraculously changed when we put our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Yet it is easy to begin to put ourselves in a different category than those we think “really need help.” In the Prodigal Son story, we see that the father came to each son without being asked. He extended his love and invitation to each son. That is the revolutionary message of the gospel. God comes to us first, extending His love and invitation to us before we can even ask! And He accepts each of us as we are and then lovingly molds us into the image of Christ.