Oct
3
Prodigal
Filed Under Daily Devotions
SCRIPTURE: Luke 15:11-32
OBSERVATION:
Ah, the story of the Prodigal son. How many times are we like this son? We demand from God what is owed to us, we take it and we run off and do our own thing (v12). We enjoy our life, we squander away our money (v13) and our pride (v15) until we are left with nothing (v14). We are lower than the pigs we tend to (v16). We finally wake up and realize what we’ve done (v17) and we humble ourselves (v18-20). We hang our heads in shame and come crawling back to our Father. Why is it we wait until we’ve hit the lowest of the lows to realize we need our Father? And we think that what we’ve done, He will never be able to forgive us, or He’ll punish us. We feel we’ve failed. Well of course we’ll fail if we go our life on our own. We weren’t created to go alone. God created us with a need, a longing for Himself.
When we return to God, it’s not what we expected. Before we finish our walk of shame back to Him, He sees us and comes running to greet us (v20). Before we can finish telling Him how sorry and unworthy we are (v21), He begins planning a huge party for our return (22-24). God loves us so much more than we will ever be able to understand. All He wants is for us to have a relationship with Him. He doesn’t care about our successes and our failures…He cares about us.
But the story doesn’t end there. A heeded warning to every Christian out there. I know I have been convicted of this a time or two. When our walk with God is good and we’re being “good Christians” we need to be cautious and not become like the older brother (v28-32). When we feel we are doing everything God has called us to do and we’re doing godly things, do not look for a tangible reward. That should not be our motivation for pleasing God. Then, when God blesses one of our brothers and sisters who we feel is not being “christian-like” (and who are we to judge that in the first place), we should not be angry or upset. We should join in the celebration as well.
APPLICATION:
Looking back on my life, I can see similarities to the Prodigal Son and my life, although the moments are not as clear cut or defined. And then there are times I get angry or upset when I realize that someone who is blatantly refusing to follow God’s commandments is still loved by God as much as He loves me. It doesn’t seem fair. But who am I to judge? Who am I to tell God who to love and who not to love? I am a sinner the same as everyone else. I should be thankful that God DOES love me as much as He loves everyone else.
PRAYER:
Father, thank you for loving me in spite of all my sinfulness. Thank you for welcoming me back into Your open arms and throwing a celebration for my return. Please give me a soft heart for other Prodigals and help me see them through Your eyes and have Your compassion for them.