The Other Prodigal Son

There are times which a story has a “main character” and any “supporting characters” are not given as much attention in lessons. To notice the supporting character in a frequently overlooked Bible text is one of the most thrilling parts of being a student of the Bible.

In the story of the Lost Son (aka Prodigal Son), the younger son, who squanders his property is often the one who is looked at as the “main character” and the lessons hinge on his part of the story. The older son, also has traits of being a prodigal, so referring to him as “the other prodigal” is not out of line. There are some valuable lessons found in the “older son” and today, here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Enjoy Your Reward, as Well as Theirs ~ It can be easy to think we should be the ones that are rewarded. Recently, we went to a public gathering in which prizes were drawn. For the second year in a row, our children didn’t win anything. Because the “luck of the draw” was not on our side, it could be easy to be bitter at the others who won. However, even if we did not “win” we can enjoy the victory that was experienced by others.
• Look in the Mirror ~ It is easy to look at someone who you label with a judgment. There are many labels that someone could be given. Basically the label is meant to demean the person, no matter the label. May we look in the mirror to see ourselves as a faulty mortal, just as the one who we are forming the opinion about (aka judging).
• Wrong View of the Father ~ To fully understand God (aka Father, Heavenly Father) is an undiscoverable mystery. Because He is totally undiscoverable, we often put our suppositions in for what God must be doing in a situation. This supposition is usually based on how we’d operate in a given situation. To skim the surface on understanding how God is dealing with any given catastrophe is still beyond our capability. Most of which is because we are not Him, some is because we are not in that situation. To form a judgment on how God deals with a situation would be taking a wrong view of God. May we try to “mind our own business” when we see how God deals with peoples’ situations.

We are all prodigals, no matter which side of the line we stand. May we not overlook the last son because of the shadow created by the first son.

Not Worthy of God

Do we desire to grow up sooner than we should for the sake of feeling more worth out of life? Is that why young kids like to hang out with older kids and teens like to hang out with young adults? Are we rushing our life all for a tiny feeling of more worth?

In most situations, worth starts to diminish as something ages. Usually that comes to a monetary value. This can pour over into humans when it comes to the worth of an athlete. As they age they become less productive and are simply worth less. On the contrary, when a person stays in a position long enough their worth increases and they are paid more and able to keep their job.

To be let go of a position takes away some of your feeling of worth. Even when we disappoint someone we feel like we’ve lost some of our worth. There are times our view of God is paralleled to that – we disappoint Him and our feeling of worth takes a nosedive.

The story of the Prodigal Son takes us in to the mind of the first son. In this section he does not feel worthy to be called the son. He is in a desperate situation and he gets ready to go home. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Come to Your Senses ~ With every situation where we are swallowed up and it is taking us deeper into a state of recklessness, we must wake up. We must realize that we are in that state and acknowledge we need to do better. Whether that state is in our job, marriage, relationship, or our service to God, let’s wake up and turn ourselves around.
• Grasp the Love ~ Being a parent is like a curse in love. You don’t realize how much your parents loved you until you are a parent. All that icky affection your parents tried to keep going after you were seemingly too old was because they care about you so much. I know I will feel that feeling about my children even when they are “too old” for affection. Try to understand how much God loves you and that He is always waiting with open arms, not crossed arms, even when you’ve messed up greatly!
• Decide and Go ~ Do not sit in a corner and think that you are not worthy of God. Technically, we aren’t; thanks to Jesus, we are. No matter what has gone on in your life, you are worth the death of Jesus to God. He gave His only Son – His only child – for you and your wrongdoings. Whether you are holding a positive pregnancy test, a drug needle, a phone book open to a divorce lawyer, a bank statement with an overdraft, or an eviction notice, you are definitely worthy to God! You must get up and go to Him to get that life of yours straightened out.

May we all see ourselves in the life of this son and then see that we are worthy to be called a child of God’s!

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A Man Who Had Two Sons

How many people are in your family/household? In my household we have the “ideal” family of four. One gender of each child. We are blessed, not because of our family’s make-up, just because we are a family.

Family consists of a group of individuals with a common tie. Maybe it is ancestry or common beliefs. We all come into a biological family but are you a part of a family group outside your biological family?

Another question is “Are you committed to that family?” Each family needs to be have commitment behind it. Without commitment the relationship is fragile.

As we looked at the eleventh verse of Luke 15 that read “a man who had two sons.” The verse simply mentioned the concept that the man had a family which consisted of two sons. Family is where we are focusing with our applications to choose from to use this week…

• Appreciate ~ Your family is unique, whether biological or spiritual. Either way, you are blood related. Being related by blood should keep you appreciating each other, even when you may not like each other too well, for whatever reason. Family is forever
• Celebrate ~ If you were to win a big lottery amount, you’d likely want to go out and celebrate. In essence, as family is priceless, you’ve won the lottery. May we take time to celebrate the family that we’ve been blessed with.
• Love ~ This is the “I’ll do about anything for you” kind of love. This goes past just about anything that is said by people. This is the “action” side of things – what will you do to prove it. With your family, love them. Do everything possible to show you care and that they matter.

Family is important. Family is priceless. Family is forever. Through it all, we’re still family.