A Father Like No Other God
Month 6: Stories Jesus Told · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 15:20 & Psalm 103:13
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. — Luke 15:20
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. — Psalm 103:13
Memory Verse
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.”— Luke 15:7 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 64-66
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 167 of 365 — "Come and see the works of God" — Psalm 66's call to praise for His mighty deeds.)The Heart of It
Across the ancient world, people imagined their gods as powerful but distant. These gods were easily angered. They needed to be fed, flattered, and bargained with. You approached such gods carefully, never sure if you'd done enough. Into that world, Jesus told a story about a Father who runs. A Father who has been watching the road. The moment He spots His ragged child in the distance, He doesn't wait to be appeased. He races out to embrace him before a single word of apology is spoken (). No other religion's god behaves like this. The God of the Bible isn't waiting for us to climb up to Him. He comes down the road to meet us. That is not the kind of god human beings invent. We invent gods we must impress. Jesus revealed a God who delights to forgive.
And this wasn't a brand-new idea Jesus made up. It was the true heart of God all along. A thousand years earlier, David sang, "As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him" (). The word "pities" means tender compassion. It's the ache a good dad feels when his little one is hurting. The whole Bible, from the Psalms to the parables, paints the same portrait. It shows a God of fierce holiness and tender fatherly love, who is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy" (). When we ask why we believe, here is one reason. The God of Scripture is too good, too surprising, too unlike our self-serving instincts to be something we dreamed up. He has the ring of truth.
Around the Table
Lots of people long ago were scared of their pretend gods. But our real God is like a loving daddy who runs to hug us! He's not scary. He's safe.
Let's do it: Make a "scared" face. Then make a big "safe and happy" face. Say, "God is a loving Father!"
Other religions imagined gods you had to impress and keep happy. Jesus showed a God who comes running to us first. That's backward from what people expect.
Let's talk: Why is a God who comes to us better news than a god we have to climb up to reach?
It's striking that the God of the Bible is more loving and more forgiving than the gods humans tend to invent for themselves. Made-up gods usually mirror our pride. The Father Jesus revealed humbles it (; ).
Let's go deeper: If you wanted to invent a god to make yourself comfortable, would you invent one this holy and this merciful? What does that suggest about where this God came from?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could design a "perfect dad," what would he be like? Then compare your list to the Father in Luke 15.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says… "All religions are basically the same. You just try to be good and please your god." You can kindly answer: "Actually, the God of the Bible is unlike any other. In every other system, you work your way up to God. In the gospel, God runs down the road to you. Jesus described the Father racing to embrace a guilty son before he even apologized (). That's not a god we earn. It's a Father who gives. It's the opposite of every religion humans have invented, which is one quiet sign it's true." Say it with warmth and respect. You're not trying to win an argument. You're sharing good news ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
The "uniqueness of grace" is a genuinely strong apologetic, and worth holding well. Every other religious system, at its core, is a ladder. Do this, avoid that, climb toward the divine. The gospel alone reverses the direction. God descends, seeks, and saves. But hold it carefully on our theological lane. Grace running down the road does not mean grace overrides the will. The father runs, but the son still had to rise and come home. The embrace is unearned, yet it meets a real repentance. This is the Arminian balance. Grace goes before us, woos us, and welcomes us. It is freely offered to all, genuinely resistible, and never coerced. Don't flatten the gospel into either "you must earn it" or "you're simply overpowered into it." It is a Father's free love calling for a child's free return. Teach your kids to see both the running Father and their own real, responsible turn toward Him.
Draws on: Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God; Roger Olson, Arminian Theology.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that we don't have to impress You. You are a Father who runs to us. No one else is like You. You are holy and merciful, mighty and tender. Help us know You, and help us tell others this good news. In Jesus' name, amen."
The God who runs down the road to embrace sinners is not one we invented. He's too good to be anything but real.