The Prodigal

The Prodigal FROM THE SKIT GUYS

Isn't this story a picture of our lives? Too often we decide to go our own way. Decide that we know better than God. Decide our plans are better than God's and that the things we want are better than what God wants for us. Decide that sin isn't so bad, or that living like the world won't have any negative consequences on our testimony for Christ. We decide to go it alone.


We think we deserve God's love. We are entitled to a "good" life. And if things don't go the way we'd like, we just turn away and say, "Yeah, you know, I think I can do this on my own, without You!"


So we shut God out of our lives. Maybe not entirely. But we stop giving Him our all. We stop caring about our Christian testimony. We start giving in to temptation and won't listen to His pleas to return to Him and stop breaking His heart.


But we soon find that we are lost. Hopelessly. We find out that sin's pleasures are so cheap, and we are devoid of any joy. We get bogged down by the world and take our eyes off of Jesus, our ultimate example. And we struggle to find the meaning of this life we thought we wanted. God seems distant and unresponsive.


But He hasn't given up on us. Never. He is waiting for us to turn away from our sin, repent, and return back to Him. His arms are wide open, waiting to embrace us. His heart is longing, yearning to forgive us and cleanse us if we would only ask. If we would only forsake all the worthless stuff in this life and surrender our all back to God, He would give us the power to live for Him. If we would only stop living like this life is all there is, He would give us His heart for the lost. He wants to fill our lives and have control of our hearts.


We don't deserve to be called the sons and daughters of God. But He doesn't care. He is willing and ready to take away our guilt and shame, because He doesn't want us to live in defeat. Restore our broken relationship, even though He isn't the one who messed up. Give us yet another chance, no matter how many times we've blown it. Forgive us, not because we have paid the price or ever could, but because His Son already did.


JPK