Morning Devotional

November 4, 2004
"The Prodigal (Part 4)"

by Don Emmitte

Home

"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, `At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.’ So he returned home to his father.” (Luke 15:17-20 NLT).

This may be the simplest, yet most profound part of the series on the prodigal. There is a fundamental truth imbedded in the last line of our reading this morning. We have already seen the hopelessness of being away from God. Today we will look at a very practical first step toward returning home. Remember we said that lost people often know they are lost. Those who are missing close fellowship with God, also know that there is a great void in their life. They may not have all the answers, but they know something is not there. We have also seen that lost people want a way to come home. They don’t want to remain in their situation. Again, they may not know how to get there, but they know they need to get out of the rut they are in and find something with real meaning.

Today I want you to see something so clearly illustrated in this famous story we call the Prodigal Son. Those separated from God, must make a step to receive the grace offered by our Loving God. They must make a step to come home. Now, this is not a denial of the sovereignty of God. It is a very difficult topic when we begin to discuss the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. However, let me merely offer Jesus’ words to come to a practical solution. Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.... if a man hears my voice and opens the door...I will come in.” (Revelation 3:20). Here’s the picture. God is knocking. He came to us first. He took the first step, but we have an obligation to respond. Coming home requires that we respond.

If you are lost, or if you are living outside of God’s will for your life, God will allow you to stay in that condition. He loves you. He longs for you. He cares for you beyond what you can imagine, but He will not force you into loving Him back. You must make a decision to come to Him and to receive His grace. On Halloween this year I was at home waiting for the children to come to “trick or treat.” I was ready for the hundreds that normally come by with bags of candy. I can see through the front door to the street and note when the cars are arriving. Most of the time I reached the door before they had a chance to ring the doorbell. Once that evening, a young child with their parents was standing at the door as I opened it. She proceeded to walk in the door! Her mom drew her back and we both smiled. However, that’s the picture we need to capture for this truth. God has prepared for us. He desires us to come home. He has extended his hand to us; however, we need to take the step to come in. Tomorrow we will finish this verse, and it has a marvelous ending, but for now, remember that you do have a responsibility to respond to God when He calls. Have you done that?