The Parable of the Prodigal Son (1)
'...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 NIV).
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-centred. 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 yoIu know Who you are, you'll begin
to understand who you are, what you're supposed to do, and where you're
supposed to be.
By Aniyi
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