The Parable of the Prodigal Son – Part 1
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. Luke 15:11
The real star in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the father. He had two boys. One was rebellious, the other was religious. But he loved each of them. And because they were his family he refused to give up on them. While the younger brother was away wallowing in sin, the older brother was at home wallowing in self-righteousness. One was guilty of the sins of the flesh (the obvious ones); the other was guilty of the sins of the spirit (the not-so-obvious ones). Only when the younger brother lost everything did he discover that living in submission to his father’s rule was the safest, most fulfilling place you could be. Only when the older brother discovered the difference between rule-keeping and relationship was he able to understand his father’s words, ‘…Everything I have is yours’ (Luke 15:31). One was a miserable rule keeper; the other was a miserable rule breaker. (Which are you?) The problem was neither boy really knew the heart of their father because they were self-centered. But that changed when they discovered that he loved them in spite of their flaws, and planned to bless them. Understand this: you can read the Bible, go to church, keep all the rules – and not really know God’s faithfulness, His love and His plan for you. Until you really know God, you’ll have no anchor in life; you’ll be tossed to and fro by every circumstance, emotion and temptation. But when you know Whose you are, you’ll begin to understand who you are, what you’re supposed to do, and where you’re supposed to be.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am Yours and the safest place to be is in Your care and presence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
I’m definitely the rule keeper. I always wondered why everybody was against the older son…I felt a little like he did…cheated. The older son was the loyal son, the younger son was the disloyal son…yet he gets the love and the party, the older son gets nothing like that anyway. Ah, but this devotion opened my eyes to the older son’s sin (and mine). Thought it interesting that BOTH sons sinned. The older son’s (and mine) was self-righteousness…the not-so-obvious sin of the spirit. So…the relationship was the important part…once THAT is understood, then one can realize that “Everything I have is yours…”. Not having a right relationship with the Father because my heart doesn’t know His heart. Wow! That’s deep. And helpful!!! So I need to know the Father better…wish that was easier. I read His word, listen to praise music all the time, pray, do devotions…yet I still seem to struggle knowing Him. I know Him very well in my head, just not so well in my heart. THAT seems to be my challenge/struggle…getting my head knowledge to my heart. What is holding me back from that process? My self-righteousness???
Oh I do so get tosssed to and fro by circumstances! Thanks for the reminder that our God is a stable and loving God. It’s time for me to sink my anchor ever deeper into God’s faithful love and mercy