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But he answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” “My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.“

Luke 15:29-32

The parable of the lost son is one of the most beautiful stories Jesus ever told. In the parable, there is not just one son, but two. Both sons seem to think they need to work for their father’s love. Because of his terrible decisions, the younger brother thinks the father will only accept him again if he returns as a servant. The older brother seems to think he has earned his father’s love only because of his hard work over the years. Both sons are distant from their father. One is distant by miles, and the other is distant in his heart.

The beauty of the story is that the father communicates clearly that the boys do not have to work for his love. They are his sons. He loves them not because of anything they have or have not done. He just loves them! How amazing is that? Instead of working for their father’s love, the brothers were loved before they did anything to deserve their father's love.

God’s love for you is like the father’s love. Your baptism is a reminder that you didn’t bring yourself back to God. You didn’t give yourself new life. Jesus came for you. He gave his life for yours. He wrote your rescue story.

As we conclude our exploration of these parables today, consider the topic of working in God’s kingdom. Both sons in the parable think they are working for the father’s love. The father makes it clear that they cannot earn his love. He already loves them. But does that mean they have no work to do in the household? Should they sit around and watch the father work?

Of course not! They are sons. They have important roles in the family. They are heirs to their father. They have a part to play. But their work will not determine their worth. They have the opportunity, not the obligation, to join their father in his work. They can add value, imitate their father, lead like him, and steward what he entrusts to them.

Where is your Heavenly Father inviting you to serve within His kingdom? You have an important role to play. You can add value, imitate your Heavenly Father, lead like Him, and steward what He has entrusted you. Pray today that He will show you how you can serve Him in your local church and in ways that build His kingdom. As your Father invites you to join Him in His work, take action!