Many of us know this parable as the Lost Son story, but my question is which son was really lost? Most of us say that the younger son was lost because he went out and squandered his family inheritance and his family name and you'd be right in saying that. But that lost son was found. He was found through the process of repentance, or admitting his faults to one he offended and seeking reconciliation. But the older son is also lost. As a matter of fact, he is probably more lost than his younger brother!
The older son was so filled with anger and jealousy that he couldn't be joyful that his brother was back. He wanted the recognition for himself. He wanted the party. He wanted the showy robe and all the cool stuff. He wanted more. But the problem is he already had it all! There was no more that could be given him because, as the father states - you're always with me and everything I have is yours. The older brother didn't recognize the many blessings he already had right in front of him everyday!
This parable is so amazing because it applies to you and me today in a very powerful way. I see it all the time - people in the church being blind to the many blessings of God that are already theirs! We go through life looking for God in the big events. We look for him when things are going wrong. We look for him to clean things up after a natural disaster. We look for him in the words of an eloquent preacher. But we fail to see him in the still small voices that are constantly surrounding us. We fail to see the wonderful power of God in the simple elements of bread and wine. It becomes hard to see God in the bowl of water used for baptism. It's become nearly impossible for us to recognize God in the words we speak on a Sunday in worship and in the conversations we hold with our friends and neighbors. Yet God reminds us through this faithful father - you're always with me and everything I have is yours.
We need not look to the showy things and the powerhouse ministries to find the presence of our mighty God because he's right here! He's right beside you in your car. He's with you in the board meeting when everything is going wrong (or right). He's holding you up when you are just too weak to walk, and he walks beside you when you find your strength in him. He's in the air you breathe, and he's there when it's hard to breathe too. He's everywhere you go - and you'll never be out of his reach because he's God! I pray today that you would find joy in knowing that you serve and are served by an amazing God! He's amazing because he has blessed you in so many wonderful ways, here are a few to ponder on today's journey:
- God has promised that your sins are already forgiven in Christ's death - REJOICE!
- God has promised that heaven is ours today because of Jesus' resurrection - REJOICE!
- God provides the air you breathe, water you drink, food you eat - REJOICE!
- God provides fellow believers to walk with you on this faith journey - REJOICE!
- God has allowed someone else to go through exactly what you're going through that you might have someone to lean on - REJOICE!
- God has promised to always be with you no matter what - REJOICE!
- God has never broken a promise yet and my guess - he's not gonna start today! - REJOICE!
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