RTW October 19
The Tale of Two Sons and A Father
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.”
Luke 15:11
My Takeaways
Something Old
The one son
- Failed to realize the joy of being around a loving father.
- Selfishly took advantage of what his father had accomplished.
- Unwisely leaned on his own understanding of life.
The other son
- Had the privilege of the Father’s company every day.
- Enjoyed the benefits of the Father/Son relationship.
- Lived life based on what his Father had accomplished, rather what he had accomplished.
Yet
Hung to some bitterness and hostility
The difference in the two sons? Their heart. One was repentant, the other was resentful
The Father
- Go our own way, even when He knows its foolish. (Luke 15:12)
- Go as far as we want to go. (far country) (Luke 15:13)
- Get as dirty as our rebellion takes us. (Luke 15:16)
- Permits us to come back, no matter the circumstances. (Luke 15:20-21)
- Rejoices at our return. (Luke 15:22-24)
Something New
Once again, we find Martha running to Jesus with questions, and Mary had Jesus’ feet.
Something to Do
Enjoy my Father’s company, and the benefits of being His child. Be thankful for His accomplished work, and have a repentant and grateful heart.
This lesson was very hard for me to hear. I even skipped through and skimmed over. It is a very familiar story but it has taken on a whole new meaning for me in this past year. My daughter- my oldest-the one who has been with me the longest has left my life, with my two grandchildren , Alana who is now 11 & Isaiah who is now 7. Alana my only grandaughter…. it has been a year and 2months. My daughter ,Ashley has vowed to never return. My heart breaks and now there will be one more birthday, one more Thanksgiving and once again one more Christmas without them. My tree used to be piled so high with presents and my wall lined with stockings now has only one, my Jayden who is now 5 my baby grandson who keeps me alive and holding on because I have to keep going for him.
We had a son who was rebellious and in and out of our lives for 10 years. It was a hard time, yet my husband and I grew in our faith and our love for one another. God was faithful and now I see this son following God, with a loving wife and two beautiful children. Seek a few friends who will commit to praying with you for your daughter to return and for hearts to be healed. I’m praying with you right now that you will be strong in your faith that God is who He says He is and that He hears your cries. ❤️