Luke 15:11-24
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
This story is likely overly familiar to most, so as you read Luke 15:11-24, try to hear it as if for the first time.
Of the three stories Jesus tells to illustrate God’s heart for people, this one is the most surprising. In the story of the shepherd and the lost sheep, the sheep simply wandered away, and the coin in the second story was accidentally lost. But the young man in this story makes a conscious decision to abandon his father and treat him as if he were dead already. The young man then attempts to get as far as possible from his home and begins to experience what it is like to be in a “distant land” far from the presence of his father.
Stop to consider whether you have ever turned away from God and run away to a “distant land.” What was it like being far from God? Share your thoughts about this with Jesus openly and honestly.
Read Luke 15:11-24 once more picturing yourself as the young man in the story.
When the young man begins to suffer the consequences of his rebellion, he remembers how good it was to be under the care and authority of his father, and he fully grasps how foolish it was to flee from this father’s presence. He devises a plan to return and throw himself on the mercy of his father and accept whatever scrap of relief that might be offered.
But he has completely misjudged his father’s love for him.
The surprise in this story is the reaction of the father. He has obviously been looking and longing for his son’s return, and when he sees him coming from afar, he cannot wait to welcome the prodigal back into the safety and comfort of his presence. Rather than a scrap of relief, the father opens the storehouse and pours out blessing on this lost one who has come home.
Think for a moment about mistakes in your past that still cause you to feel shame. Then imagine yourself as the prodigal approaching God to ask for a scrap of mercy. Picture God running toward you to welcome you back home and pouring blessing over you to wash away all your shame and regret.
Stay with this for a while.
What might Jesus want you to realize or do today?
How will you respond?
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