As if Any Were Any Different…
The Parable of the Lost Son, or more commonly known as The Prodigal Son is a Bible story we are all familiar with. Or are we? If you know the story to be told as a man that had two sons; the younger son asked for his inheritance, left home and journeyed to a far away place and literally squandered all of his inheritance to the point he became a hog feeder in the fields to sustain himself and was ready to eat the scraps that were for the hogs because he was broke and hungry, and a famine had hit the land to which he ended up in; then you know the story in which I speak of. It is found in Luke 15:11-32.
There is much to be had from this parable of the prodigal son. And we should all be able to identify, for we have all been there, and done that before we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives and for those who have not accepted Him, sadly you are still there in the life of a prodigal. But all is not lost.
The older brother represents the Jew, or the saints (saved) of God. The younger brother represents the gentile (or the unsaved). The older brother is clearly the more focused and disciplined son. He is the son the father can depend on and trust to do right and live righteously. The younger brother, well that is the one our Heavenly Father is seeking to save that [who is] which is lost.
The younger brother, with no respect at all for his father, didn’t ask for his inheritance. His pride demanded it. Luke 15:12 - And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And in doing so, the Father gives in not only to the younger son’s request, but also distributes to the older son his portion of inheritance as well. Our Creator is such that, in our underserving, He still is giving to us the grace and mercy we so justly do not deserve. Like when Christ died for us knowing some were never ever going to accept His loving kindness and sacrifice to seek and save us that was or is lost. Romans 5:8 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therein lies a blatant truth: those of us that are true worshippers of The Lord, we are saved and value our salvation by living according to the scriptures and not according to our carnal nature guided by our flesh - our earthly desires; Father is constantly giving to us above all that we can ever ask or think [to ask]. Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 1 Timothy 6:17 - Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. See the difference? The reckless one, we’ll call him the representation of sin, or the sinner; he demanded his inheritance received it and did exactly what is expected. He blew it on everything that was not righteous. He lived haughtily, arrogant, and wasteful - not thinking about the fact that his inheritance has an end. Because sinners do what makes them sinners, they sin! And the younger son was no different. While the righteous brother, the one in right-standing with his Father, received his inheritance and continued to live as his father and His Creator would have him to do. He did what was expected of him as a righteous son, he lived righteously. I have a saying: entitlement is a mentality, not an actuality. And if you want to see a child ruined and become as rottenness form the inside out, do as this man did and give them everything. They literally become spoiled. That is morally decayed from the inside out.
Thankfully, we are all granted an opportunity to see the Way, The Truth, and The Life. We are granted an opportunity to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. But that depends solely on us. He will not and does not force Himself upon us, but just at the man in the parable of the Lost Son, we can and should get to a place where we desire better for our lives. A place where we realize there is better for us and we no longer want to be who we are currently, and we seek the Lord. Just as the younger son did in Luke 15:17-19 - 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. This is where we are humbled and so broken that the things that mattered to us, especially materially, no longer matter. Rock bottom seems to still carry the ability to open up many eyes and make us see, its not about what we wear, or what we drive, or how much material things of value we have, but that our spirit is reborn and that carnal nature of pride and haughtiness has now been subdued by the realization of salvation and what it means to truly be saved! We gain a divine revelation of Jesus Christ and what He did for us through His sacrifice. Amen! John 10:10 -The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
When we see one that was lost and in a place of despair and is destitute, we needed not judge them, its not as if we were without sin and lived a perfect life, but let’s rejoice. Why? Because what we have been receiving all the time (just as the older brother) because He is always with us and we are receiving all He has for us, all the time. But the younger one was lost and he has now come to himself and sees the gift of forgiveness and is ready to receive his spiritual inheritance; which for us is eternal life after we leave this earth.
In closing, we all at one time, were prodigal. We were lost in our sin. And our Heavenly Father and all of Heaven rejoiced as we came into the fold. Luke 15:7 -7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repent, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Luke 15:10 - 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.
Blessed be the Name of The Lord.
In His Service and In His Love,
Apostle & Prophetess Wendy Connor
© Copyright 2022 Wendy Connor
