Morning Devotional

November 1, 2004
"The Prodigal (Part 1)"

by Don Emmitte

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To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, `I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15:14-16 NLT).

This week we will look at a very familiar story from the gospels. It is most known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. A better title would be “the Parable of the Loving Father.” Jesus is talking. He has told the crowd that a certain man had two sons. One son, the younger, asked for his share of the estate in advance. He left home and squandered all his money on wild living. This is where we pick up in the story with today’s Scripture. I want to talk this week about a subject I have thought a lot about lately. What we can learn about lost people by this story is very revealing.

Before we get started, I need you to understand that this is not just for those who are spiritually lost, as in those who have never accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. Those people are spiritually lost, but I hope this week will apply to those Christians, born again, who have “lost” their way. They are not following God as closely as they know they should be.

The first thing we can learn about lost people is that lost people often know they are lost. There comes a time in their life when they know something is missing. No one really needs to tell them or even share with them about the void in their life. They know. In fact, it is a knowledge that may gnaw at them from deep within in a sense of emptiness that cannot be verbalized. This is true of most all people who are lost. It is also true of those Christians living outside of God’s perfect will for them. The abundant joy and the peace that surpasses understand is not present in their life. They want it, but it is not there because they aren’t living God’s plan for them. Without that plan, the real blessings of Christianity are never realized.

A second thing we can learn about lost people from this parable’s introduction is that lost people often will settle for less than they are entitled to in their life. This young man was desperate. In his desperation he settled for pig’s food. I wonder how many people have been driven to such an existence as that simply because they felt they had no alternatives? Are you lost? Is there something missing from your life? Do you desire to experience all God has for you? I have good news for you! God desires to welcome you back home with robes, rings, and sandals! He has a party waiting for you in honor of your return! Perhaps this week is just for you!