When he came to himself, he said… I will arise and go to my father. – Luke 15:17-18
The story of the prodigal is familiar to most. Today’s verse from Jesus’ parable relays the point at which the young man decides, “Enough is enough!” Amid his great failure, he stopped trying to live his way and gave up. Perhaps you have had times in your life when you realized what you were doing was not working for you. Perhaps things have gone from bad to worse, with no end in sight, until you reach an awakening. The young man in the story determined he would return to his father whatever the cost.
It was then that he learned about love! How overwhelming it must have been to him. Maybe you have been more like the older brother, always close to your heavenly Father, obedient, reliable, and reaping the rewards of being in His presence, but not realizing the extent of His love. Both the older and the younger brother had much to learn about relationships, about the nature of their father, and about himself.
Perhaps it is time for you to return to your Heavenly Father who loves you so much. Or perhaps it is time to acknowledge the many blessings you have had heaped upon you during your life. There are men and women in America’s divided government who have never experienced God’s love for themselves. Pray that they will come to the end of themselves, truly hear the message of the Gospel this Christmas season, declare “Enough is enough,” and begin their journey home where the Father is ready to receive them with joy.
Today’s Verse: Luke 15:17-18
But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Jeremiah 3:14-24
Return, O faithless children,
declares the Lord;
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.
15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage.
19 “‘I said,
How I would set you among my sons,
and give you a pleasant land,
a heritage most beautiful of all nations.
And I thought you would call me, My Father,
and would not turn from following me.
20 Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,
so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,
declares the Lord.’”
21 A voice on the bare heights is heard,
the weeping and pleading of Israel’s sons
because they have perverted their way;
they have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, O faithless sons;
I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Truly the hills are a delusion,
the orgies on the mountains.
Truly in the Lord our God
is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
