Jesus showed the father of the prodigal son rejoicing over his son’s return home, and then the father calls for a celebration,

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:22–24).

Often when a fallen Christian returns to the church, we do not rejoice or celebrate as we should. Some people do not even welcome the person, but as soon as the service concludes, they leave.

When a fallen Christian returns, he or she has come back from something far worse than the young man in the parable, and so our rejoicing should exceed that which we read about in Luke 15.

Examine yourself next time someone returns and see if your attitude is right.