Prodigal Daughter and Amazing Grace
The story about the prodigal son is familiar to most people in the church. You may think you don't want to hear about this story but please clear your mind of everything you've ever heard about it and let's re-read the story together. I have recently learned something from the story that I had not seen before.
And there was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
Luke 15:11-13 ESV
There have been many times in my life when I demanded to have my own way. I wanted what was mine now and when I got it, I would misuse it and still be miserable. It took me a long time to learn that getting what I wanted when I wanted it was not always a good thing. In fact, it was usually harmful to me or to someone I claimed to care about.
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Luke 15:14-16 ESV
Things of this world break, fall apart, and wear out. Nothing on earth is eternal. It will all pass away. Taking advantage of things and people will never result in peace, joy, or happiness. We will usually find ourselves bankrupt emotionally and broken hearted. We long for and hunger after the great promises of God but because we are unwilling to make changes, we remain in a mess of frustration, anger, and pain that is of our own making. But this does not have to be where the story ends. There is hope.
Repent of your wrongdoings. Repent of your sin, your self-centeredness, and your pride and turn back to God. It is not too late. Whatever you may have done or failed to do is not too big for God to handle. His arm is not shortened. He can and He will save you, if you would only turn back to Him.
“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! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’
Luke 15:17-19 ESV
Realizing the error of our ways is the first step to being forgiven. It is the first step for freedom and peace too. In the book of Psalms, we learn that our sin is against God. But it is exactly that sin, Jesus paid the debt for.
Jesus took our punishment. He took what we deserved as the justice to atone for our sin and gave us His right standing with God. Our debt is paid in full. We have been forgiven. We cannot earn such huge generosity. All we can do is accept the grace of God that sent Jesus to die in our place.
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24 ESV
Everything about us is known to God. We have no secrets before Him. He knows the hurt we hide in our heart, the pain in our flesh, and the discomfort we feel when our sin is brought out in the light. There is nothing you can stop God from knowing or seeing. No matter where you go or what you do, He is there.
He is with you in every storm, even if it is of your own making. God does not lay blame on us because the blood of Christ has covered our sin.
Heaven celebrates ecstatically every time we turn away from our sin and turn back to God. Shouts of joy and praise for God resounded throughout His kingdom when we turn away from our unhealthy lives and turn back to God.
This is my story with God, too. I am a prodigal daughter who has been given the gift of amazing grace.
At the age of 16 after several suicide attempts, I gave up hope of every being happy. But God (I love saying that!) met me in my grief and made Himself very real to me. From that point on, I knew God was real but I didn't know Jesus.
Even when I met Jesus some years later, I still tried to live life my way. I wanted the gift of God's grace without having to relinquish any part of my lifestyle. I wanted my way in everything and this made me very difficult to live with. It also left me miserable and frustrated.
I was a prodigal daughter that made the younger son of the man in this story look like a nice guy. I was a mess of hurricane proportions. Even though I knew God was real and that Jesus died for me, I only knew it in my head. I've heard it said that the longest distance is from your mind to your heart. I believe that. It is hard to plant the seed of God's hope in your heart when your mind is full of self-condemnation.
I knew Jesus and I was learning what God's promises are but I still did not live in victory because I was too busy trying to tell God what to do and when to do it. I obviously knew better than He did what needed to be done. I was very wrong and very unhappy.
God will meet us in our messes but His amazing grace prompts us to let go of all the things we think we have to have that are in actuality killing us. Self-centeredness of any shape or form is detrimental to our health. It will not satisfy our heart's desire to be loved and valued.
So what are you holding on to that is destroying your life?
What happened in your past that you keep trying to conceal?
How many times will people have to hurt you before you realize that there is Someone who loves you just the way you are and who will do His absolute best to care for you?
Don't waste another minute. Turn back now from your past and from yesterday (and today if needed) and refocus your eyes on God. Let them stay fixed on Jesus Christ and refuse to let go Him.
God always accepts those who simply repent.
Heidirn
Luke 15:11-13 ESV
There have been many times in my life when I demanded to have my own way. I wanted what was mine now and when I got it, I would misuse it and still be miserable. It took me a long time to learn that getting what I wanted when I wanted it was not always a good thing. In fact, it was usually harmful to me or to someone I claimed to care about.
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Luke 15:14-16 ESV
Things of this world break, fall apart, and wear out. Nothing on earth is eternal. It will all pass away. Taking advantage of things and people will never result in peace, joy, or happiness. We will usually find ourselves bankrupt emotionally and broken hearted. We long for and hunger after the great promises of God but because we are unwilling to make changes, we remain in a mess of frustration, anger, and pain that is of our own making. But this does not have to be where the story ends. There is hope.
Repent of your wrongdoings. Repent of your sin, your self-centeredness, and your pride and turn back to God. It is not too late. Whatever you may have done or failed to do is not too big for God to handle. His arm is not shortened. He can and He will save you, if you would only turn back to Him.
“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! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’
Luke 15:17-19 ESV
Realizing the error of our ways is the first step to being forgiven. It is the first step for freedom and peace too. In the book of Psalms, we learn that our sin is against God. But it is exactly that sin, Jesus paid the debt for.
Jesus took our punishment. He took what we deserved as the justice to atone for our sin and gave us His right standing with God. Our debt is paid in full. We have been forgiven. We cannot earn such huge generosity. All we can do is accept the grace of God that sent Jesus to die in our place.
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24 ESV
Everything about us is known to God. We have no secrets before Him. He knows the hurt we hide in our heart, the pain in our flesh, and the discomfort we feel when our sin is brought out in the light. There is nothing you can stop God from knowing or seeing. No matter where you go or what you do, He is there.
He is with you in every storm, even if it is of your own making. God does not lay blame on us because the blood of Christ has covered our sin.
Heaven celebrates ecstatically every time we turn away from our sin and turn back to God. Shouts of joy and praise for God resounded throughout His kingdom when we turn away from our unhealthy lives and turn back to God.
This is my story with God, too. I am a prodigal daughter who has been given the gift of amazing grace.
At the age of 16 after several suicide attempts, I gave up hope of every being happy. But God (I love saying that!) met me in my grief and made Himself very real to me. From that point on, I knew God was real but I didn't know Jesus.
Even when I met Jesus some years later, I still tried to live life my way. I wanted the gift of God's grace without having to relinquish any part of my lifestyle. I wanted my way in everything and this made me very difficult to live with. It also left me miserable and frustrated.
I was a prodigal daughter that made the younger son of the man in this story look like a nice guy. I was a mess of hurricane proportions. Even though I knew God was real and that Jesus died for me, I only knew it in my head. I've heard it said that the longest distance is from your mind to your heart. I believe that. It is hard to plant the seed of God's hope in your heart when your mind is full of self-condemnation.
I knew Jesus and I was learning what God's promises are but I still did not live in victory because I was too busy trying to tell God what to do and when to do it. I obviously knew better than He did what needed to be done. I was very wrong and very unhappy.
God will meet us in our messes but His amazing grace prompts us to let go of all the things we think we have to have that are in actuality killing us. Self-centeredness of any shape or form is detrimental to our health. It will not satisfy our heart's desire to be loved and valued.
So what are you holding on to that is destroying your life?
What happened in your past that you keep trying to conceal?
How many times will people have to hurt you before you realize that there is Someone who loves you just the way you are and who will do His absolute best to care for you?
Don't waste another minute. Turn back now from your past and from yesterday (and today if needed) and refocus your eyes on God. Let them stay fixed on Jesus Christ and refuse to let go Him.
God always accepts those who simply repent.
Heidirn
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