“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, there his arms around him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20
Imagine a father who gathers his children for breakfast and asks the oldest child, “What chores do you have to do today?” The son tells him, “I have to go to the barn to look after the cows.” “That sounds great,” the father says. Then he looks at the youngest one and says, “How about you son, how are you doing in school?” But the father is surprised by that son’s bad attitude, as the young man answers, “I am not going to school any more, and I know that your favorite son is my brother. You never correct him, but you’re always watching everything I do. I’m tired of this kind of life. I want to be myself without having to be accountable to anyone. You’re so perfect, Dad, but I don’t want to be like you. If you had planned to give me anything as an inheritance, please let me have it now, because I don’t want to see any of you ever again.” Saddened, the father gave his inexperienced son what he asked for.
As he left the house, a small group of friends were waiting for him and he told them about his decision. They congratulated him and told him he was setting a great example because he could now be himself and do whatever he wanted without any hassle. He could have the women he wanted, spend his money how he wanted, and do anything else that he could think of.
But, that happiness was as fleeting as a thought. It all faded so fast. The money and the friends disappeared. The girls left him. As he went to his friends looking for financial support, they closed their doors to him. He had hit rock bottom.
In the midst of his deep crisis he thought about asking for a second chance. So with determination, he began his difficult journey back home. However, he was not counting on the fact that his father was anxiously awaiting his return. When the father saw him far away, he ran to meet him, threw his arms around him and kissed him. He didn’t care about the misery of his son’s condition. The father went out to receive him, to love him, and to restore him. In a matter of seconds everything was back to normal.
Now, everybody was happy except the older brother. The father noticed that something was going on with him and he stepped out of the house to speak with him. “We are all so happy because your brother came to his senses and decided to come back home.” To the father’s surprise, the young man was indignant and judged the father for how quickly he had received his brother. He said in a sarcastic tone, “What a reception you gave him; it deserves a round of applause. When I brought you the best grades in the entire university, you didn’t even bother holding a dinner party to celebrate. When I take care of all the hard work on the estate, you just about manage a pat on the back. There’s no celebration, or invited guests. But now that my lazy and ungrateful brother has squandered all of his inheritance in no time at all thanks to his wild living, you receive him like some kind of war hero. You surprised me, father. I didn’t know he was your favorite.”
Wisely, the father put his hand on his son’s shoulder, and told him, “Son, I want you to know that your brother is a war hero; he defeated the toughest of enemies. He conquered pride. He humbled himself by coming back without knowing the reception that was waiting for him. That’s why I’m celebrating, son. A young man left my house thinking he was self-sufficient. He was full of pride and had delusions of grandeur. Now I’m excited because he has the ability to make better decisions. The difficult consequences of his choices built up until he reached a point where he came back to life. That’s why I am celebrating, -but you mustn’t be left out. I haven’t put on special dinners for you because you are the man of the house alongside me. But let’s go back inside. Your brother is waiting for us…”
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
There is a famous evangelist, R. A . Torrey, who has lead thousands of souls to Christ. He shares how he used to be an unbeliever who left home because he was tired of his mother’s rules. She told him as he was leaving, “Son, when you reach the darkest hour of your life and all seems lost, if you pray to the God of your mother, He will help you.” The young man decided to leave, and he sank deeper into sin until, one day, he became exhausted by it all. He said, “I will grab a gun and end this farce called human life.” At that moment he remembered the words of his mother. He fell to his knees next to his bed and said, “Oh, God of my mother, if there is such a God, I want light. And if You give it to me, I will follow it.” An incredible transformation took place in his life, and his experience is just one amongst millions like this over the centuries.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I turned my face back to God, but He received me, He forgave me, He restored me, and He gave me His richest blessing.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Two.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
