God Loves Prodigals Like You and Me
Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash
“To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” ~ Luke 15:11-24
This Christmas season, I’d like to talk about the prodigal son. You might think, “Wait, what? It’s Christmas, shouldn’t we be talking about Bethlehem and wise men? Shepherds and angels?” We’ll get to that. Right now, I’d like to focus on this particular story and how it relates to us. You see, the father in this story took care of his family. He made sure they had what they needed: food, clothing, shelter, and his love and support. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the younger son. He found living at home and depending on his father boring. He wanted to be in charge of his life. So, he asked his father to bankroll his freewheeling lifestyle now. The father wanted his son to be able to make his own decisions and live the life of his choosing, so, he divided his money between his sons.
The son struck out on his own, moved far away, and partied like there was no tomorrow. When the money was gone, he begged a local farmer to hire him on. He ended up tending to pigs and envying them their slop. Suddenly, he had a reality check. Living his way had ended in tremendous failure. What he needed to do was go back home and admit to his father that he had been wrong. He wasn’t worthy to be called the man’s son again, but maybe he could get hired on as help.
Now, we might expect this father to be stiff and formal. Surely, he’ll make the boy squirm a bit at least? Maybe an, ‘I told you so’ thrown in there for good measure? That isn’t how this story plays out at all. Instead, the father sees his boy coming from a long way off and starts running to greet him. He’s overjoyed that his son has returned home. He hugs and kisses him then tells his staff to get a party ready. It’s time to celebrate!
I’ve been a prodigal before and I realize that I’m guilty of this young man’s thinking. I turned back begged forgiveness and have tried to work off my penance. I think of every awful thing in my life as my deserved punishment for wrongs that I’ve done. I’m afraid that I’ve missed the message of the prodigal son altogether. Just like that father, our heavenly father will run to us with joy if we turn back to him. There won’t be judgment and condemnation for things covered and washed away by Jesus’ blood. We’ll be embraced and rejoiced over. There won’t be ‘I told you so’s.’
That’s what the Christmas story is all about (see, I told you we’d get to it). It’s the story of a father who couldn’t wait for us to get to Him. He came to us. So, this Christmas remember that no matter how far you’ve fallen, your heavenly Father will come running if you will only turn to Him.
“To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” ~ Luke 15:11-24
This Christmas season, I’d like to talk about the prodigal son. You might think, “Wait, what? It’s Christmas, shouldn’t we be talking about Bethlehem and wise men? Shepherds and angels?” We’ll get to that. Right now, I’d like to focus on this particular story and how it relates to us. You see, the father in this story took care of his family. He made sure they had what they needed: food, clothing, shelter, and his love and support. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the younger son. He found living at home and depending on his father boring. He wanted to be in charge of his life. So, he asked his father to bankroll his freewheeling lifestyle now. The father wanted his son to be able to make his own decisions and live the life of his choosing, so, he divided his money between his sons.
The son struck out on his own, moved far away, and partied like there was no tomorrow. When the money was gone, he begged a local farmer to hire him on. He ended up tending to pigs and envying them their slop. Suddenly, he had a reality check. Living his way had ended in tremendous failure. What he needed to do was go back home and admit to his father that he had been wrong. He wasn’t worthy to be called the man’s son again, but maybe he could get hired on as help.
Now, we might expect this father to be stiff and formal. Surely, he’ll make the boy squirm a bit at least? Maybe an, ‘I told you so’ thrown in there for good measure? That isn’t how this story plays out at all. Instead, the father sees his boy coming from a long way off and starts running to greet him. He’s overjoyed that his son has returned home. He hugs and kisses him then tells his staff to get a party ready. It’s time to celebrate!
I’ve been a prodigal before and I realize that I’m guilty of this young man’s thinking. I turned back begged forgiveness and have tried to work off my penance. I think of every awful thing in my life as my deserved punishment for wrongs that I’ve done. I’m afraid that I’ve missed the message of the prodigal son altogether. Just like that father, our heavenly father will run to us with joy if we turn back to him. There won’t be judgment and condemnation for things covered and washed away by Jesus’ blood. We’ll be embraced and rejoiced over. There won’t be ‘I told you so’s.’
That’s what the Christmas story is all about (see, I told you we’d get to it). It’s the story of a father who couldn’t wait for us to get to Him. He came to us. So, this Christmas remember that no matter how far you’ve fallen, your heavenly Father will come running if you will only turn to Him.
We all get busy. It’s a busy world out there. Sometimes we feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day to sit down with our Bibles and spend some quality time with God. That doesn’t mean that we should give up all together. Here is a collection of 31 short devotions for busy people. You can read them, pray over them, contemplate them as you go throughout your day. I hope that God speaks to you through them as you allow Him to challenge you and encourage you to grow.
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Just click on the book on the left and follow the link. |
"16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see--
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together."~ Colossians 1:16-17
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Trials. Sorrows. We all have them. They are a part of the human condition. The trick is to remember that we are admonished to 'consider it all joy.' ~ James 1:2 How can we find joy in the midst of our trials? It is because through the testing of our faith we have the opportunity to develop grit,determination, staying power, call it what you will. We are being given a spiritual workout.
As with our physical well being, our spiritual well being is greatly dependent on what we take in. If we want to be able to endure, we need to make sure that we have the right fuel. We need to have God's word hidden in our heart so that when our times of hardship come, we will have a well to draw upon. |
