of this world and that the grass is greener on
the other side, so to speak.
Jesus tells a story about the prodigal son in
Luke 15. A certain man had two sons; and the
younger one went to his father and asked for
part of his inheritance, which the father gave
him. Not many days later, the young son gathered
up all his belongings and took a journey
to a faraway country where he started spending
his inheritance on riotous living.
Take note that what that son did is a typical
move of the devil. He wants to deceive people
and draw them away from those who are living
right so he can entice them with the pleasures
of this world.
The Bible doesn’t say the father tried to stop
his son or forbid him from going away just
as our heavenly Father doesn’t stop us from
making wrong choices. We all are free moral
agents, and each one of us is responsible for
the choices we make in life. The father could
have forced his son to stay and refused to give
him his portion of the inheritance, but he knew
his son would resent him; so it was a lose-lose
situation.
I Was Once a Prodigal Son
Years ago after I had graduated from college,
I had an opportunity to move to Los Angeles,
California. My mom was sobbing as I packed
up my car and got ready to leave because she
didn’t want me to go. She thought I was making
a big mistake, but I was a young adult;
and I wanted to do things my way. I wanted to
experience life on my own, and my mom knew
she couldn’t stop me.
As we were standing by the car saying our
goodbyes, I said, “Mom, if you live my life,
whose life am I going to live?” That was a terrible
way to say goodbye, but I was a sinner at
the time; and I wasn’t under the leadership of
the Holy Spirit.
So I went to Los Angeles with my friend, and
everything was going well; but I had a strong
longing to go back to Ohio. Somehow, I knew
in my heart that I didn’t want to meet a girl
and form a relationship in California. I knew
my future wife was in Ohio; so after spending
six months in California, I decided to make
the journey back to Ohio. It wasn’t long after
I returned that I met the girl who would later
become my wife. God had her marked for me,
and He had given me that longing to return
home.
The devil wanted me to get as far away as
possible from God’s plan for my life, but I
praise God that He was able to deal with me
and bring me back home. Now, I’m living the
life God wants me to live, and I’m helping
spread the Gospel to the whole world with my
Grace Cathedral family.
The Prodigal Returns
I believe the prodigal son’s father knew his
son was going to leave with or without his
blessing, so he had to let him go and trust that
God was going to bring him back. You may
have a loved one who has left the safety of
God’s home and has gone out into the world
of sin, but always remember that the Lord is
doing everything He can to bring that person
back.
The Bible says, Turn, O backsliding children,
saith the LORD; for I am married
unto you (Jeremiah 3:14). God is a patient
God, and He knows how to deal with each
soul. A person may have to hit rock bottom
before he is willing to return to the Lord, but it
is worth it if he gives his heart and soul back to
God.
The prodigal son was one who had to hit
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