Beloved: A Study through the Writings of Brennan Manning

 

Session 3: Let Yourself Be Loved

Based on The Furious Longing of God and Luke 15:11–32

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I. The Longing That Comes Looking

The story of the prodigal son begins not with rebellion, but with hunger.
A son asks for his inheritance early, chasing freedom in all the wrong directions.
When his fortune disappears, he finds himself empty, rehearsing the words of apology he hopes will earn him back a place at the table.

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion,
and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

The son expects a transaction. The father offers an embrace.
Love runs faster than regret.

Brennan Manning called this the furious longing of God — not a distant affection, but a relentless pursuit.

“The love of God is beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine.
It is not a mild benevolence but a consuming fire.”

This is where grace becomes love’s language.
God does not simply tolerate our return. He celebrates it.

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II. The Difference Between Being Forgiven and Being Loved

Many can believe they are forgiven, yet struggle to believe they are desired.
Forgiveness can still feel like tolerance, a formal pardon without affection.
But the Gospel tells another story.

“As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; remain in My love.” (John 15:9)

Manning wrote,

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,
walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

He was not speaking of hypocrisy in action, but of unbelief in belovedness.
When we live as if love must still be earned, we dim the truth we are meant to reflect.

The father’s embrace was not a reward for repentance.
It was a revelation of identity.

“Quickly,” he said, “bring the best robe, and put it on him.” (Luke 15:22)

Love interrupts shame before the apology is even finished.

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III. The Furious Tenderness of God

In The Furious Longing of God, Manning said,

“If you take all the goodness, kindness, and patience of all the people who ever lived,
it still falls short of the furious love of our Abba.”

This is the love that kneels beside us in the pigpen,
the love that refuses to define us by our last failure.

It is fierce, but never harsh.
It burns away pretense, not people.
It does not ask for perfection, only permission.

“If you are not aware that God loves you passionately and unconditionally,
then you are not yet aware who God is.” — Manning

This love is not earned by repentance; repentance is awakened by love.
It is the look of the father’s eyes that changes the son’s heart.

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IV. The Older Brother Within

There is another figure in the story, the older brother who never left home, yet lives as if he must still earn affection.
He refuses to join the celebration.
His words reveal the ache of performance:

“All these years I have been serving you, and you never gave me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)

The father answers with tenderness:

“My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” (Luke 15:31)

The older brother represents every soul that confuses service with sonship.
Manning wrote,

“The Father’s love is not something to be earned, deserved, or merited.
It is a pure gift. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more,
and nothing we can do to make God love us less.”

Love is not increased by proximity or decreased by failure.
It simply is — and we are invited to rest in it.

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V. The Invitation

Letting yourself be loved is not a feeling. It is a daily consent.
It means laying down the armor of self-sufficiency
and letting grace do what effort never could.

It means believing that the same God who ran to meet the prodigal
is still running toward you today.

“God is not moody or capricious; He knows no seasons of chill.
His love never changes; it is always reliable, always tender.” — Manning

To let yourself be loved is to finally stop apologizing for existing.
It is to come home without conditions and stay at the table without earning your seat.

“Love is not a reward for good behavior; it is the secret of the universe.” — Manning

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Living in Love This Week

1. Rest before you act.
   Begin each morning by sitting in silence for two minutes.
   Whisper slowly: “Abba, I belong to You.”
   Let belonging precede activity.

2. Interrupt shame.
   When you catch yourself replaying regret or self-criticism,
   pause and recall the father’s embrace in Luke 15:20.
   Replace the thought with, “Love runs toward me, not away from me.”

3. Practice joy without justification.
   Do one thing this week purely because it brings joy. A walk, music, laughter, creativity.
   Let joy be an act of trust in God’s delight.

4. Celebrate someone’s return.
   If a person in your life is trying again after failure,
   respond with encouragement instead of evaluation.
   Reflect the father’s joy rather than the brother’s judgment.

5. Close your day with gratitude.
   Read Zephaniah 3:17:
   “He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
   Let that be the last voice you hear before sleep.