Overview of: LukeToday's Reading:
Luke 15:1 – 16:31
"Strays, Schemers, and Skeptics"
Focus Verses: Luke 15:7
20 So he got up and went to his father. 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, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Insight:
This story is most often called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." I guess that makes sense since the story line follows the son, and most of us probably identify more strongly with the son.
The main idea of the story, however, seems to be centered in the character of the father. He was willing to let the son leave him. He longed for the son to come to his senses and be restored. He ran to welcome the son when he returned. He rejoiced and threw a party to celebrate being reunited with his estranged son. It was like receiving his son back from the dead!
Response and Action:
I recognize that God has give me the freedom to honor and serve him, or to wander and reject him. I believe that when I turn away from him, he longs for me to return and be restored. I want to have the wisdom to come home to God and to live for him. I must give thanks to God for his goodness in extending forgiveness and reconciliation to me.
I will share God's love for my brothers and sisters who are wandering. I will do what I can to find them and bring them back home. With God, I long for them to return and find their place in his family. When they return, I will run alongside God to welcome them. I will celebrate their restoration and renewal.
O God, thank you for welcoming me home. Thank you for your redeeming and saving love for all people. Thank you for giving your son, that whoever believes in him might have eternal life. Give me your heart for those who have wandered or turned away from you. Give me a readiness to reach out to them and to run to meet them with your gracious welcome. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.Old Testament for Today: Jeremiah 24:6-7
6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
In Context: Jeremiah 24
Proverb for Today: Prov. 11:25
"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
Recommended Reading:
The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Timothy Keller
