"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." Luke 15:22-24
What do we get when we receive the lavish love of the Father? That is, in addition to the lavish love!
The first thing is the robe!
When the wayward son returned, the father called for the robe.
This son had been feeding pigs. In fact, more recently, he had been wrestling the pigs for food. I don't know if you have ever been near a pig pen, but it is not a place where you want to hang out. Growing up in hog country, I am very familiar with the smell of a hog farm. It is a very distinctive smell - or should I say diSTINK-TIVE? I would wonder if the father may have smelled the son coming before he saw him coming!
Needless to say, the son was ready for a change of clothes!
In addition to that, let's look at the significance of the robe.
Throughout Scripture, the robe is a symbol of righteousness. Righteousness means that we are made right with God. Being made right with God means that we are restored to right standing before God. It denotes a transformation in our moral nature. It shows that the guilt from our sins has been removed and the penalty of our sins have been satisfied.
For the son, this meant that he was better after he returned than he was before he ran away! Because of the lavish love of the father his post-pig days were going to be better than his pre-pig days!
Even better, the robe meant that the son would be admitted to the party. Trust me, you don't want to party with a person who comes straight from a pig pen. Talk about a party pooper, well........
Since the party was in his honor, it is good that he got to go in!
When you and I were connected to the lavish love of the Father, we got a robe! We were given the righteousness of Christ that cleansed us from the filth and stench of our sins and prepared us for the party! The robe enabled us to be in a right relationship with the Father and enjoy more of His lavish love! And as long as we have the robe, we have the connectionn with the Father and there will be plenty of parties to follow!
Have you put on the robe of righteousness? Are you rightly connected with the lavish love? Will you be prepared for the party?
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