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7-20-12. THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON-devotional

7-20-12. THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON-devotional

Luke 15:11-32  Key Verse: 15:24

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF   Friday, July 20, 2012

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

Dear Lord, thank you for great start for this morning. A good night’s sleep, hospital education, newspaper reading at Caribou Coffee and daily bread with the kids and now, writing daily bread. Only in you Jesus. Thank you for your graces poured out. I pray that you may bless the time spent with the Procek’s and our family. Please plant your word in my heart today. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Part 1: The Younger Son (11-24).

Verses 11-24 read, “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

The younger of two sons told his father to give him his portion of the estate. Though the act was disrespectful, the allure of the sinful world was too strong to resist. He took a new identity in a new place. Then he lost everything in wild living. Hunger and suffering drove him to feed pigs to survive.

How often does this happen? Often. We are blessed by God and we take the blessing that God has given us and we take them to spend them on various self centered and egocentric things that only plunge us into ruin, both in a worldly sense and also in a spiritual sense. A person does not have to be engaged in wild living. A person just has to disengage from Jesus and the Gospel and spend their God given wealth and youth on constant restaurant eating, getting an education that will leave you $70,000 of more in the hole, entering into one seemingly harmless romantic relationship after another, and all the while ignoring Jesus, the Bible and the body of Christ, his church. They will become bankrupt spiritually and materially and postpone graduation into adulthood and postpone things like marriage, and getting a car or a home. How many of our young people are following this path and ending up hopeless and trapped by all kinds of sins? Lot’s. I pray all of the prodigal sons and daughters may come to Jesus and renew their relationship with him.

But there is one positive note to this man’s suffering. His suffering drove him to remember his gracious father. Swallowing his pride, he started for home with a repentant heart. There seems to be some people who just need to become prodigal on order come to their senses. It is the not the best scenario, but it can be used by God to draw them closer to him with cords of love.
I thank God who came to me when I was a prodigal son. I was definitely taking the way of hedonism and pleasure seeking. I was ignoring the fact that my father in heaven had given me life and all that I need to live a fruitful and blessed life and I took it all and used it to seek pleasure. I was left in a state of feeding the pigs. I was becoming a junk man. I was fruitless and meaningless. I was going to get stuck in the mindset of a 22 year old head banger for the rest of my life, I was ruining my health, my mind and my relationship with God was broken. I was not nurturing my mind and my soul. I was destined to face the judgment of God if Jesus had not come into my life. Through it all, God was drawing me to himself. Praise God. I pray for all the prodigal sons and daughters to come to their spiritual senses and come to Jesus.

In this passage we also see the heart of God. The loving father saw his lost son and welcomed him home. The father was very happy to see his son and threw a party. This tells us that God completely restores us as his children when we repent and come back to him. What wonderful grace. We just come back to God as we are. He is waiting for us. Why do we delay to return to our heavenly Father’s arms?

Part 2: The Older Son (25-32).

Verses 25-32 read, “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him .29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

The older son was angry with his father and did not care about his younger brother. He was proud and selfish. He complained to his father. He did not know the Father’s heart. If he did he would rejoice over the lost son who returned. He was like a person who seems to do everything right. They adhere to all the religious requirements. They serve their homes and families very well. They are excellent on their job. They become self righteous and think they deserve it all. But they do not know the heart of the Father; they are efficient people with no compassion and a cold heart. They may not have become prodigal outwardly, but they definitely gone prodigal in their hearts. When the two sons did not look to their father and have a right relationship with him, they looked elsewhere. One looked to the world; the other looked to himself.

How do we overcome our prodigal tendencies? We must keep our attention on God. Remaining in the word and in prayer is a good start. I thank God for our ministry’s emphasis on Daily Devotionals. It makes us sit down and think about Jesus and pray. If we keep our attention on Jesus, we will be changed to be children of God who know God’s grace and who can share in his compassion.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for receiving a prodigal sinner like me as your child. Guard my heart against pride and selfishness and help me to grow in your compassionate love. .

One Word: Our Father’s love for sinners




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