SOFTLY AND TENDERLY!

 

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

 

SOFTLY AND TENDERLY!

 

Luke 15:17-19

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

 

          I am almost certain that the prodigal left home for more reasons than we see in the story. The lure of riotous living was surely present, but I feel there must have been some tension between the prodigal and his father – and maybe his brother. Pleasure pulls us but pain pushes us along. At some point he decided to abandon the familiar for the exotic.

 

          I’ve seen many people wander away from God and from His church for a lifestyle of spite. It is seldom due only to the pull of pleasure. There is almost always some pain that makes them feel justified in their departure from home.

 

          Spiteful actions almost always hurt the actor! Paul kicked against the sharp pricks of conscience and the voice of God said that doing so was hard. (Acts 9:5) The prodigal never intended to find himself in the hog pen but that was the result of his hurt and rebellion. Only when he came to himself could he then come to the Father. Only then did he know that his grievance was unfounded.

 

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

 

Refrain

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

 

Loving Lord, let me come to myself early and think before I act rashly. AMEN