Luke 15:11,32 – The Prodigal Son

The prodigal son is a message often quoted in the Holy Bible, and that brings us learning for our present day. When we talk about the prodigal son, we see a young man who leaves his father’s house, but returns some time later, when he had already squandered all his inheritance.

Prodigal Son means: One who returns to his parents’ house or family life after a long period, having led an unruly, extravagant life, full of waste and waste; is part of one of three parables about loss and redemption: the prodigal son returns home!

Luke 15:11,12 – Jesus continued, “A man had two sons. The youngest said to his father: ‘Dad, I want my share of the inheritance’. So he divided his property among them.

Oneof this man’s sons decided for some reason to ask for his share of the inheritance, and this father divides it up among them. 

There is a great learning here in relation to receiving “blessings” ahead of time, because when we observe what happens to this young man ahead, we understand that in order to receive God’s blessings there is something called time. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – Everything has its season, and there is a time for every purpose under heaven.

We observe that that young man asks for his share of inheritance, from then on we can see the relationship between blessing and knowing how to manage what we ask of God. The young man wanted to have possession of his inheritance, but he was not prepared to manage it, and now that inheritance becomes a curse.

Every time we receive something that we are not prepared to receive, we face difficulties as was the case with this young man.  Proverbs 20:21 – An inheritance that is quickly acquired at first will not be blessed in the end.

Here we understand the importance of waiting for God’s time and knowing how to wait so that we can receive God’s blessings in the right way and in their opportune time. 

And maybe we are asking God for something and until today he has not granted us, and when we anticipate the blessing process, we run the great risk of turning the blessing into a curse, because we were not yet ready to receive it.

Imagine we ask God for a car. Understand that we are asking God for a car, but before the car, is it not necessary to have a license?

It is not possible to receive a car from God, if we do not have the license to drive it and even if we buy a car, we will certainly be subject to causing serious problems in traffic, for others and for our lives. Can you understand how a blessing granted out of time can cause serious inconvenience.

We must be careful to seek God for a blessing, understanding that if we have not yet received it, it is because we are not yet prepared to administer it.

The prodigal son asks for his share of the inheritance, but he was not yet mature enough to manage that good, for mismanagement he throws away everything his father had given him.

How many times are we inside the house of God and we simply think we have some reason to leave the house of God and live according to what we think is right, according to our desires and desires. The prodigal son also thought he had a motive inside his heart, something that motivated him to leave his father’s house.

And when we stop and observe, we understand that we are prone to leave the father’s presence, by the bad influences that surround us, by the false “friends” who try all the time to distort our beliefs and values. 

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Don’t be deceived : “Bad company corrupts good morals”.

teaches us that there will be moments in life when we will be surrounded by “friends”, but the true friend is God our father.

While that young man was in his father’s house, he had everything, he lacked nothing but when he left his father’s house, he began to face difficulties. Here we understand that when we are close to God we have absolutely everything. We receive his provision and care, but when moving away from the presence of God, We begin to die spiritually, we never have the same intimacy with the father, because we are distant from your will.

Luke 15:14,15 – And when he had spent everything, there was a great famine in that land , and began to suffer needs. And he went, and came to one of the citizens of that land, who sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Look where this young man has come! That young man who once had everything was now in need, reaching the point of wanting to eat the same food that the pigs ate. Away from the presence of God, the enemy can lead the human being to a state of extreme need and even shame.

The prodigal son then remembers what life was like in his father’s presence. He recognizes that he was wrong, and then remembers that even his father’s servants had a blessed life.

Luke 15:16 – And he desired to fill his stomach with the acorns that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

If the prodigal son had friends, when he lost his inheritance, they disappeared. If he had a full table, he would now be experiencing the most severe scarcity, because he had no money and there was hunger in the land. 

This is often the case in the life of a person who decides to leave the house of God. Several situations happen that lead to the reflection of how good it was to be in the presence of God. Understand that no matter why you may have one day walked away from the father’s house, reflect that like the prodigal son, you also lived good times good times in the presence of God.

Everything we experience in the house of God is recorded in our hearts and when we leave the presence of God for some reason at some point memories come to the surface that generate feelings of longing to be in the house of God again. In that moment we are similar to the prodigal son where we recognize that the life we ​​lead away from God, does not compare with the moments we experienced when we were inside the presence. God wants us to make the right choices.

The prodigal son wants to return to his father’s house, to become just a servant, but when he arrives at his father’s house he is welcomed as a son. We must understand that God looks not at what we throw away one day, but rather that we are able to recognize that we were wrong and the word of God says that there is a feast in heaven when a sinner repents.

Luke 15:20-24 – And getting up, he went to his father; and while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running, he fell on his neck and kissed him.

And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Quickly bring the best clothes; and put him on, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet; And bring the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be glad; For this son of mine was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to rejoice.

We see a father happy to see his son who one day left his home and went out to live according to his desires and wishes. The happiness here was because a much-loved son was now returning to the home he should never have left. 

So with us, God allows someone to come out of the father’s house, because there is free will, that is, the right to choose, so that in the face of situations, the adversities of life, we come to recognize that we make mistakes and that we are dependent. 

We can even put our foot down yes, but we will understand that we are dependent on your provision of your care of your correction and that blessings have to come at the right time.

God does not want us to become like another remaining brother, but God wants us to become like the father.

Understand that the youngest son takes his inheritance and leaves for a distant land and there, close to everything, he abandons his father to his home, that is, he did not value what he had.  

The son who remains was even inside his father’s house, but in his heart he was not able to release forgiveness and have compassion.  

Now the father welcomes the prodigal son with open arms, teaching us to be liberators of forgiveness, teaching us not to look at our brothers’ defects, but to embrace them, to rejoice because one day he was wrong, yes, but he recognized his mistake. and went back to the place where he should never have left, which is in the presence of God.

Luke 15:25-32 – And his eldest son was in the field; and when he came, and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

And, calling one of the servants, he asked him what that was.

And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received him safe and sound.

But he was indignant, and did not want to enter.

And when his father left, he urged him. But he answered and said to his father, Behold, I have served you for so many years, I have never transgressed your commandment, and you have never given me a young goat, that I might rejoice with my friends;

But when this son of yours came, who has squandered your goods with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.

And he said unto him: Son, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine;

But it was right for us to rejoice and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive again; and he was lost, and he is found.

Unfortunately, there are people who behave like the prodigal son, who do not value what God has given, but at some point recognize their mistake and return.

Let’s watch people like that brother who stayed, but couldn’t celebrate with the return of the brother who was lost in the past.

There will be people who will act similar to the father who rejoices when he sees someone who was lost returns home. May we not be like children, but like a father who did not look at mistakes and defects, but looked at the recognition of his son.

I’m going home is not a shame, recognizing that we made a mistake is not a shame, for that reason today if you read this poster and at some point in your Christian life you decided to drop everything and stop, come back, do like the prodigal son even a life away from straying father, acknowledged his mistake and returned while there was still time.

The time to return to God’s house is today, because yesterday does not come back, today is what we have and tomorrow we will not know if we have experienced it because tomorrow belongs to God.

Many waited for tomorrow to come, to accept Jesus Christ as lord and savior of their lives and unfortunately they didn’t have that opportunity.

 Don’t leave the father’s presence, to value him in his absence.