e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday October 1, 2008
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11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. 13 “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘ 20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate. – Luke 15:11-24 (NASB)
I want to go my own way. Before you shake your head in disgust, admit that you want to go your own way too. That’s part of our problem. Actually, it’s been part of humanity’s problem since Adam and Eve. The root of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God was their desire to go their own way. To have what they couldn’t have.
The parable of the prodigal son is the story of a young man who wanted to go his own way. He was the younger of two brothers. One day, he goes to dear old dad and says he wants to leave. And, by the way, he would like his inheritance now. Then, he runs. He runs far away. He goes to a “distant country.” He does not move down the street. He is not across town. He creates a lot of distance between where he was and where he wants to be. Have you ever noticed that when we want to go our own way, we really don’t like being around people living godly lives? We don’t like reminders of how things should be.
This young man takes his money and runs. He parties hard. He lives hard. He enjoys life in the fast lane. And then, the money runs out. The “friends” go away. The music stops. All he has left is empty pockets and an empty stomach. He takes a job feeding pigs. Keep in mind that the worst place a Jewish boy could end up is on a pig farm. Yet, there he is. To make things worse, he is so hungry that the pig’s slop begins to look good.
With his stomach growling and his options running out, the light bulb in his head goes on. “The guys who work for my dad have it better than this,” he says. He begins the long trek home. As he goes, he rehearses the speech that he plans to give to his father. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.” The young man finally realizes where his life went off track. He realizes his desire to go his own way was rooted in sin and selfishness. He realizes that he has hurt his both his fathers – his earthly one and his Heavenly One. He realizes that he needs to go home again.
For a number of us, we know what it is to go our own way. We know what it is to run and then find ourselves in the pigpens of life. We know what it is to be out of options. We wonder where we will go. Know this, we can come home again. We need to take the first step back to God. We need to admit to Him that we were wrong. The Bible tells us that if we admit our sins, God will forgive us and restore our relationship with Him (1 John 1:9). How about it? Are you willing to get up and come home? Before you say “I can’t,” look around. Look at the pigs and the slop. See the muck and the mire. That’s where we all end up when we go our own way. You are not the first. Unfortunately, you will not be the last. The pigpen is not where you belong. Get up and come home. Take the first step and admit you were wrong. Take another and keep walking down the road. The house is coming into view. See the lights? Smell dinner cooking? Hear the voices? Home is closer than you think. Come home.
Pastor Darrell
