Thursday, July 2, 2026
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. In Luke 15, Jesus gives us a clear, unforgettable picture of the Father, One who stays, runs toward His children, and forgives with compassion and joy. That view of God changes how we see our shame, our story, and our next step.
Father's Day brings out a wide range of emotions. For some, it means gratitude and memories of a dad who showed up consistently. For others, it stirs loss, disappointment, or pain. That tension is exactly why this message in CedarCreek's What Is God Like? series matters.
Many people carry a distorted picture of God, shaped by family history, disappointment, or assumption. But Jesus came to show us the Father clearly. When one of His followers asked to see the Father, Jesus replied: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:8-9, NLT).
So if we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus, how He treated people, what He taught, and the stories He told. Few stories reveal the heart of God more plainly than the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 (NLT).
What Story Did Jesus Tell to Show Us What God Is Like?
In Luke 15:11-32 (NLT), a younger son asks for his inheritance before his father dies, a request that, in first-century Jewish culture, was deeply offensive. It was essentially saying: I want your stuff more than I want you.
The son leaves, wastes everything, and ends up desperate and broken. At rock bottom, he decides to go home, not expecting celebration, only hoping to be accepted as a servant.
But Jesus turns the story in a shocking direction. The father does not reject him, shame him, or make him earn his way back. He welcomes the son home with compassion, dignity, and joy. That is the picture Jesus wants us to see when we ask, What is God like?
God Is the Father Who Stays
The first truth in this story: the father never stops being a father. Even after the son rejects him, leaves, and loses everything, the father remains. He does not disown his son or cut him off. He stays.
This matters deeply for anyone whose experience of an earthly father was marked by absence, inconsistency, or pain. Jesus shows us that our Heavenly Father is different, not temporary, not unstable, not absent when life gets messy.
"For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you'" (Hebrews 13:5, NLT).
When you drift, He stays. When you doubt, He stays. When you make choices you regret, He stays. When you feel far from God, He has not moved.
The younger son eventually returned home because, deep down, he knew home still existed — that his father was still there. The same is true for you. No matter how far you have wandered, God has not left.
A distorted view of God makes us believe we have to clean ourselves up before coming back. The prodigal son's story corrects that: home is still home because the Father still stays.
God Is the Father Who Runs Toward You
The next moment in the story is just as striking. While the son is still a long way off, the father sees him, feels compassion, and runs. In first-century Jewish culture, dignified men did not run. Jesus' audience would have been shocked.
That is exactly the point. God is not standing at a distance waiting for you to prove yourself. He is not cold, reluctant, or watching with crossed arms. He runs toward you.
The father embraced his son and kissed him before the son could finish his apology. Love moved first. Compassion moved first.
When shame tells you to hide, God moves toward you. When failure tells you your story is over, God moves toward you. When guilt tells you to stay back, God moves toward you.
This is one of the clearest pictures of grace in all of Scripture — and it connects directly to John 14:8-9. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. And Jesus consistently moved toward the people others avoided: the ashamed, the broken, the doubting, the overlooked.
Your Heavenly Father is not running from you. He is running toward you.
God Is the Father Who Forgives
When the son begins his apology, the father interrupts it with restoration — calling for the best robe, a ring, sandals, and a feast. Each gift carries the same message: you are family again.
The father does not place the son on probation. He does not hold a grudge. He forgives.
"I — yes, I alone — will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again" (Isaiah 43:25, NLT).
God does not forgive reluctantly. He forgives fully. He restores identity, covers shame, and welcomes sons and daughters home.
The meaning of each gift in Luke 15 is worth sitting with: the robe covered the son's shame, the ring restored belonging, the sandals marked him as family rather than a servant, and the feast celebrated his return. God's forgiveness does not just erase a debt, it restores relationship.
If you are in Christ, your identity is not "the one who failed." It is loved, welcomed, and forgiven.
A Real-Life Picture of the Father's Heart
One of the most powerful moments in this message was Seth Oswald's story. After years of addiction and stealing from his own dad to support a heroin habit, Seth hit rock bottom — eventually landing at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Toledo, where God began to get hold of his heart.
Like the son in Luke 15, Seth started thinking about home. He wrote to his parents. They wrote back with encouragement and prayer. After his first 30 days, they came to pick him up.
His dad got out of the car, ran toward him, hugged him, kissed him, and welcomed him home.
Years later, Seth learned his dad had tracked down and bought back tools Seth had stolen and pawned, paying a price instead of holding a grudge.
It was not a perfect picture. But it was a powerful glimpse of the Father Jesus reveals: a Father who stayed, a Father who ran toward, a Father who forgave.
A Clear View of Your Heavenly Father Changes Everything
This is not just about understanding a story. It is about seeing God clearly enough that your life begins to shift.
When you know God stays, you can stop living like you have been abandoned. When you know God runs toward you, you can stop hiding in shame. When you know God forgives, you can stop carrying what Jesus already paid for.
That clarity also changes how you treat others. When you have been welcomed home, you become someone who welcomes. When you have received grace, you become someone who gives it.
Your Next Step
Maybe your next step is simple but deeply personal.
You may need to come home to God — to stop running, to receive forgiveness instead of only hearing about it, or to find a church community where you can heal and grow.
If that is you, CedarCreek would love to help. You can learn more on our About Us page, explore What We Believe, or find community through our Ministries. GrowthTrack is a great place to take a practical first step, and the DreamTeam is a way to live out your faith while serving others.
No matter where you have been, your Heavenly Father is still there. He is running toward you. And He is ready to forgive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is God like according to Jesus? According to Jesus, God is a loving Father who stays with His children, runs toward them in grace, and forgives them fully. Jesus reveals this most clearly in Luke 15 through the parable of the prodigal son.
What does the prodigal son teach us about God? The parable shows that God is compassionate and ready to restore anyone who returns to Him. The father's response, running, embracing, and celebrating, reflects God's heart toward those who have wandered.
How does Luke 15 show God's grace? Luke 15 shows grace by portraying a father who moves toward his broken son before the son can earn anything back. There is no probation, no shame, only welcome, restoration, and celebration.
Why does a clear view of God matter? What you believe about God shapes how you pray, how you see yourself, and whether you run from Him or come home to Him. A clear view replaces fear and shame with trust and hope.
What should I do if I feel far from God? Come to Him honestly. The message of Luke 15 is that God has not moved away from you. He is ready to receive you with grace, forgiveness, and love, right where you are.