Cont:The Parable of the Prodigal Son (2)

'He came to his senses...' Luke 15:17
Sometimes you have to reach your lowest point to understand who God is and what He can do for you. When the younger son ended up in a hog pen, 'He came to his senses'. But his next decision was crucial: 'I will...go back to my father and say..."I have sinned"...' (v. 18 NIV). And when he did, his father restored him to his rightful place. But the older brother needed his father's forgiveness too. What was his sin? Jealousy and judgmentalism: '...This son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' (v. 30 NIV).

 He built himself up by tearing his brother down. He tried to earn his father's love by making points. The trouble was, he already had his father's love; he just didn't know it, so he kept trying to 'prove himself'. Are you doing that? As a redeemed child of God you are already accepted, justified and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Today your heavenly Father is saying, '...You are always with me, and everything I have is yours' (v. 31 NIV). These two boys sinned in very different ways, but their solution was the same - being restored to fellowship with their father. James writes, 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father...who does not change...' (James 1:17 NIV). Notice, God not only knows what's 'good' for you, but what's 'perfect'. And He will give it to you when you get into the right place spiritually and begin to relate to Him as you should. By Aniyi.