If you feel like you are far away from God guess who moved?! When the prodigal son ended up in the pigpen he had no one to blame but himself. But when the prodigal son ended up in the father’s arms he had no one to thank but the father alone. The father loved his son and closed the gap. When the son came home the father would have been totally justified to have kept the son at arm’s length; however, a parent’s love can’t do that. Love doesn’t cause distance – love doesn’t keep distance – love closes the gap.
The distance from one side of the Grand Canyon to the other side is many miles. There is no way to jump across. You can’t build a bridge because it’s just too deep and wide. The distance between sinful mankind and a totally holy and just God is even wider and more impossible to close. But God is a bridge builder and He closes the distance with the cross of His Son, Jesus.
The apostle Paul writes, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ…for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:13,18). The apostle Peter writes, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy”. (I Peter 2:10).
Read Luke 15:1-24 and listen to a very “moving” song by Mandisa called The Distance. Then thank God and praise God for going the distance to close the gap.
Luke 15:1-24
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.