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Luke 15:11-32
This is the story of “The Prodigal Son.” The younger brother has taken his inheritance and left home with ambitions of carrying on a life that was centered around his wealth and was noted to be with partying and prostitutes (Luke 15:13, 30). When he had spent all his inheritance, he was hired as a servant and spent his time feeding swine/pigs food that he himself would have been glad to eat in his newly discovered poverty. He decided that before he starved to death he would go to his father and confess his sin to heaven and his father (Luke 15:17-19). His intentions were that maybe his father would hire him as a servant; he knew that his father provided better care for his servants than the condition in which he was currently living.
When he returned to his father, his father saw him coming from a long way off and ran to welcome him with open arms as he called for a feast and a celebration (Luke 15:20-24). The faithful older brother would not see things the same as he complained to his father for calling a feast and celebration for his prodigal brother when the father had never thrown a celebration for his faithful son who had worked for him all his life (Luke 15:25-30). The father’s reply to the older son was that he has access to everything that belongs to his father, but his younger son has been lost, even considered dead, and now has been found and given a new life (Luke 15:31-32).
This is an example of straying from God our Father and living a life of sin, being stripped of pride, repenting and returning to our Father God and finding new life through the Father’s grace and forgiveness.
We all have strayed from our Father God at some point in our lives. Finding salvation, new life, and being forgiven of our sins begins with repentance/turning from sin and seeking a new life as we realize the need for forgiveness from our Creator and Father God. He is faithful and just, and with a sincere heart we can return to Him in humble submission. He will receive each of us with open arms and call for a celebration in all of heaven; and does each time one of us returns to Him (Luke 15:7, 10).
Dear Lord,
We have all strayed from You. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of Your glory. He also teaches us in Romans 6:23 that sin leads to death, but You have given us a gift of eternal life in Your Son Jesus whom You have sent to save the world from sin (John 3:16-17). Please open our eyes that we may see this great gift that You have given us through Your never-ending mercy and grace. Please help us to actively live the new life that You give us and share Your love with others so that they too may receive life through salvation in Your Son Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.