scandal of grace 4

“What are you doing??? How dare you forgive him and throw a party for him? I’ve worked so hard for you and never have you done this for me!”

The older brother believed that Dad had been holding out on him. The scriptures say that “out of the heart, the mouth speaks,” so he exposed his inner feelings about Dad here. He had been very devoted. He worked hard. He loved his dad. None of this is in dispute. But really knowing his dad, he didn’t. He had believed a lie, that his dad had been keeping something back, holding a standard over his head. He had feared not working hard for Dad, because he feared the loss of relationship. Now that his brother had blown it, he expected his suspicions (that he had set his lifestyle on) to prove out and he figured Dad would kick little bro out.

But this was not the character of his dad, and it is not the character of our God either. The amount of experience of God is related to the amount of knowing Him. The older brother had bought the lie of religion, that we have to perform for our God to receive His love. This had colored his relationship with his dad and kept him from truly experiencing all that dad was willing to share with him.

“You’re always with me. Whatever I have is yours.”

How many times have we let performance and legalism keep us from truly experiencing and knowing the grace of God? How many times have we believed the lie that God will not love us should we fail to perform better? How often have we believed the lie that God is holding out on us? But isn’t it dangerous to believe that God loves us just the way we are right now? Isn’t that taking Him for granted?