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作为一名牧师，我经常与一些父母交谈，他们对自己的儿子或女儿不再认为基督重要而感到失望。我总是试图向他们保证，一个人回到神和祂的子民身边永远不会太晚。

耶稣讲了一个儿子离家出走的故事。他没有和父亲一起打理家业，而是要求继承遗产，然后把钱浪费放荡。在当时看来，这可能是一个很有吸引力的想法，但就像我们许多罪的决定一样，它导致了个人的灾难。

当他的钱花光后，这个年轻人开始与猪打交道——一种犹太人厌恶的“不洁”动物。当他“醒悟过来”时，他问自己：“我怎么会到这里来的？”

我们可能会发现自己也在问同样的问题，因为我们已经远离了我们的天父。悔改是我们回归的第一步。虽然我们自己没有能力恢复与神的关系，但天父承诺，当我们带着悔改的心回转时，祂会接纳我们。

如果你发现自己远离天父，祂邀请你今天回到祂身边。悔改和归回，神要欢迎你回家。

As a pastor, I often talk with parents who are disappointed that their son or daughter no longer thinks Christ is important. I always try to assure them that it is never too late for someone to return to God and his people.

Jesus tells a story about a son who ran away from home. Rather than work with his father on the family estate, the son demanded his inheritance and then wasted it on wild living. It probably seemed like an attractive idea at the time, but like many of our sinful decisions, it led to personal disaster.

When his money was all gone, the young man wound up working with pigs—"unclean" animals that were detestable to Jews. And as he "came to his senses," he asked himself, in effect, "How did I get here?"

We might find ourselves asking the same question, having drifted far away from our Father. Repentance is the first step we take to return. And while we do not have the power to restore our relationship with God on our own, our Father promises to receive us back when we come with a repentant heart.

If you find yourself far from the Father, he invites you to come back to him today. Repent and return, and God will welcome you home.