A father had two sons, the younger of which wanted his inheritance right away.  "I want you to give me the money I'd get from you when you die," he said.  Amazingly, the father agreed.  So the son took the money and went off to a distant land to "live it up" and party all night long.

The problem with partying all night long is that the night doesn't last forever.  Soon the son had wasted all his money, and he became so poor and hungry that he had to work with pigs. T here he was, longing to eat the slop the pigs ate! (Have you ever seen how nasty pig slop is?)

In this pitiful state, the son came to his senses.  He realized even the lowliest of his father's servants had it better than he did.  So he headed back home, hoping at least to get a decent job.

When he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming, because every day he had been waiting to see if he would come home.  Many times had he looked toward the horizon, hoping to see the figure of his boy returning.  Finally, he was coming home.  And once he saw him, he ran toward his child.  Before the son could even finish what he wanted to say, the father was hugging him and welcoming him home.

And then the celebration began.  It is ironic that this son who left his home to "party" found the best one in his father's house.  God is the father.  We are the son.  And every time we repent of our sins He welcomes us home with open arms.  He never gets tired of forgiving us.  All we need to do is to turn to Him, and his mercy does the rest.

The passage in Ephesians talks about a God rich in mercy, and the grace by which we are saved. It points out that God's grace "is not from you, it is the gift of God, not by works, so no one may boast." God's mercy is a gift we cannot earn. All we have to do is take it.

There are many things we can (and must) do to grow in holiness and faith. But our actions are one one millionth of what we need to do to be saved or to have a relationship with God. God's free gift of grace covers the rest of it. Reread the story of the prodigal son, and this time picture yourself in it.  No matter how far we stray, there is always a loving Father watching and waiting for us to return.  Truly, there is "no place like home."