If we could listen to the heartbeat of God, what would we hear? Peo—ple. Peo—ple. Peo—ple . . .

This reality amazes both mortals and angels. The psalmist asks, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” (Psalm 8:4). And angels watched in holy awe at the unfolding of God’s redemption plan for mankind (1 Peter 1:12).

God’s love for people is amazing—especially when you consider that ministering to people is often difficult, tiring, and heavy on heartache. People are fickle—good one moment, bad the next. Look at King David. Look at the apostle Peter. Look at me. We are consistently inconsistent!

Yet we repeatedly find similar storylines to Luke 15:11-31 in God’s Word. Let’s take a look at the pattern:

• Man disobeys God—The younger son overtly disobeyed his father. The older brother appeared to outwardly honor his father, while he was inwardly unhappy with him (vv.13,29-30).

• God initiates reconciliation—The father went out to meet both of his sons (vv.20,28). His heart was “filled with love and compassion” (v.20). And he humbled himself and begged (v.28) his older son to rejoice with him in the family reunion.

• Two responses—The younger son repented, while the older brother would not rejoice with his family despite his father’s pleas.

God’s love for people should be our clear example. As we come to understand His heartbeat, it compels us to love others. The apostle Paul captured the heart of God and the ministry He’s given us when he wrote, “We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’ ” (2 Corinthians 5:20).