There are a few things that I know about God (and about us) simply by reading the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15. Here goes:
1. You can be living in the Father’s House and be dissatisfied and discontented to the point where you think you’re missing out on something and want to leave.
2. The Father will let you leave His House and presence so you can follow a meaningless pursuit.
3. When you leave the Father’s House, you leave His presence. His presence is “where He is.” To have the relationship restored YOU must return to HIM.
4. There is a certain amount of fun and pleasure that a person can obtain in the world, outside of the Father’s House.
5. Any fun or pleasure that can be achieved outside of the Father’s House will eventually end and the person who once lived in the Father’s House will realize that things weren’t so bad in the Father’s House after all. (It’s called “coming to your senses.”)
6. People who have left the Father’s House to pursue an ungodly lifestyle will feel a sense of shame and unworthiness for their error and will be doubtful within themselves that the Father will accept them back into the family.
7. If/when you return to the Father’s House, He will receive you back with open arms and will remove your feelings of unworthiness.
8. If you return back to the Father, He will restore your broken relationship with Him, EVEN THOUGH others may disapprove of the restoration. (Remember the older son?)
9. When you are away from the Father’s House, He considers you to be LOST and DEAD… when you return He considers you to be FOUND and ALIVE. (This story lets us know that there is a deeper meaning to the word “DEAD” than what we have imagined.)
10. The Father loves you. Even though you left Him, you can return to Him… if you will “come to your senses.”
Luke 15:17 (NIV)
When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
