Upon Return

Luke 15:11-32 is a story that most of us are very familiar with. We've heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son preached along with many messages about returning to Christ. But like I've said before, The Lord grants me a new understanding of the particular passage every time I look at it.. I think it's quite remarkable  that the story of the Prodigal Son  so closely parallels to my life. In the story a  father gives his  two sons their share of inheritance. One son immediately leaves and begins to waste all that his father has given to him. The father becomes concerned for the son, who has hit rock bottom. The son is left with nothing, so he decides to go back to his father. He expects his father to be furious and disappointed. As soon as he returns home, however, he finds his  father waiting anxiously for his return. In the end of the story his father celebrates his son'a return. Jesus used this story to demonstrate the Lord's love and grace to the Pharisees.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is an excellent example of our heavenly Father's love and grace for us. You see, in my own life, I am the prodigal child. He gave me the most gracious, undeserved gift, and I accepted it. Over time, I began to take that gift of salvation for granted. While I should have been sharing the love of The Lord with others, I was wasting that time by blending in to the rest of the world. I struggle greatly with blending in. Standing out in faith takes a tremendous amount of courage, especially while surrounded by all the wrong things. I am grateful however for the grace The Lord has shown me through these trials. I've slipped up here and there, but my roots remain in Him. He has kept me from a lot of bad places. But as I read this story of the Prodigal Son, I realized that I need to return to the Father, and continue on with HIS plan for me. I've realized that I am placed in the circumstances that I am in to show love and light to the people around me. It is so incredibly hard to show love and light when worldly temptations are pulling at you constantly. But The Lord put me where I am because he knows that I can be strong. I have to be. I want to be.

So in closing, I ask you, how does the story of the Prodigal Son relate to you and your walk?  Have you ever received the gift of salvation from the Father? Did you accept the gift , but now you've taken it for granted? Or have you been lost and empty for a long time, feeling like the Father has forgotten about you?  The Lord is anxiously waiting for you to run to him. He  hasn't forgotten about you, he isn't ashamed of you, he is ready for you to surrender yourself to him so that he can pour his love out on you.  Run from the worldly desires, and run to The Lord. He will wreck you, rebuild you,  and fill you with an indescribable love that can't be found anywhere else.