It is written in Luke 15:4-6, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."
Amen Brothers and Sisters! Hear the great calling of the Lord. If we as the children of God have accepted Jesus Christ in our hearts and have confessed with our lips that he has died for our sins and has risen, then our Heavenly Father has promised to redeem us. We are not lost in Jesus, as He begins teaching in the story of the Prodigal Son. Many times during our walk with God, we can tend to forget about the tremendous mercy and grace that abounds over, around and in us because of the blood of Jesus.
The grace of God, that can often be taken for granted because of His immense love for us seems to show no immediate, major consequence in our benevolence towards Him.
This great gift given to us through Jesus in the form of eternal life, can sometimes be overlooked because we fail to focus spiritually and instead choose to look physically. Being more attracted to the temporary things that satisfy the flesh, more than the eternal things which are everlasting in God. It is written in Luke 15:11-12, "And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living."
There is no good thing that the Lord will withold from those who truly love and obey Him, yet sometimes during our selfish moments, we can misuse or abuse many a good gift. Yet, even so, our Heavenly Father is just in His ways to forgive us, if we humble ourselves and repent. It is written in Psalms 86:5, "For the Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." Amen.
As we continue to read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke, we find that the one son who demanded all of his share of his father's wealth, began to misuse and waste his portion foolishly on material, perishable things. Partying and living wildly. To his surprise, once all of his wealth had been consumed, a sudden and great famine had spread through the land. This is where we have to be careful of the enemy, who seeks to mislead us through deception, selfishness and greed. It is written in 1 Peter 5:6-8, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Amen?
As we continue further into the story, we find that this son, soon found himself in the midst of disaster. No place to live, no food to eat. Eventually, he had no choice and ended up becoming a servant to a man, assisting him in feeding swine. He had gotten so hungry, that he actually considered eating slop with the pigs. How did it come to this? He had come to the lowest point of his life due to greed and selfishness. We must be careful in not making the mistake of the prodigal son, as we can bring great heartache and stress upon ourselves in neglecting the good that God can provide if we consistently seek and trust in Him.
It is written in 1 Timothy 6:10, " For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Amen.
The son had decided to rise up and return to his father, in hopes that he would accept him back into the family fold. He was so sorry for his actions, he would have accepted a servants role. For just like our Heavenly Father, his father was very, very wealthy. It is in the close of this story in where we find the example of compassion, love, mercy and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. Even when we go astray, He is just and merciful to forgive us.
It is written in Luke 15:20, " And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Amen! What great expression of unconditional love. Brothers and Sisters, it is safe to say, we should not not stray away from our Heavenly Father who truly loves us. For we cannot forsee the dangers that wait to engulf us outside of God's protection.
Even in this case, our Heavenly Father is ever merciful, just, full of love, patience and compassion that it is written in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Amen.
So then, let us look toward the good things of God, holding steadfast in faith, prayer, worship and praise. In this, we can humble ourselves and pray, that our Heavenly Father will look down on His children and say to us what is written in Luke 15:22-23, "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry."
Let us stay in prayer to God always Brothers and Sisters lifting up each other, that we remain within His family fold. Looking at the story of The Prodigal Son as a reminder, that God is always with us, ready to supply all of our needs. So we do not have to stray away.
