December 10, 2025
Daily Devotional:
“A Father's Heart”
Luke 15:31–32
“And the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
This passage is the climax of the Parable of the Prodigal Son or, perhaps more accurately, the Parable of the Loving Father. After the joyful return of the younger son, the older brother stands outside, harboring bitterness and resentment. He is obedient, dutiful, but utterly devoid of the father’s joy.
The father’s response here is a gentle, yet profound, invitation to his older son. It reveals magnificent truths about God's heart. We have our Secure Identity in Christ as the father reassures the older son, "Son, you are alwayswith me, and all that is mine is yours." For those who have faithfully remained in relationship with God, this is a stunning reminder of our secure, unshakable standing. We don't have to earn our inheritance or our place at the table for we are already in the family, and everything the Father has is already available to us through our relationship with Him.
We are not just servants; we are sons and daughters. And in the Priority of God's Joy as the father explains the celebration is "fitting" as it is the right and proper response to restoration. God does not look upon a returning person with grudging acceptance. He looks with overwhelming,celebratory love. The focus isn't on the returning son's past sins or the older son's perfect record. The focus is on the miracle of life over death, of found over lost. When we embrace this perspective, our hearts shift from self-pityand comparison to sharing in the immense, divine joy of restoration.
Let us take a moment to ponder, where in our lives do we feel like the older brother? The dutiful but joyless, forgetting that you are already "always with" the Father and possess all that is His? Whose restoration or return is God inviting you to celebrate, even if your human nature finds it hard?
Look for an opportunity today to celebrate someone else's victory, restoration, or good fortune. Instead of comparing your life to theirs or dwelling on what you lack, intentionally share in their joy. This practice helps align your heart with the Father's own boundless celebration.