| Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash
Look at the journey of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. This young man left home with everything his father gave to him. He lived the so-called “good life”; he was enjoying all the pleasures of the flesh and world. But the journey takes a different direction; all his money is gone, his friends leave him, and he is empty, destitute, and alone. So what does he do? He is out trying to survive on his own by feeding the pigs, sleeping with the pigs, and eating the food of the pigs.
Luke 15:17-18 tells us; and the next part of his journey. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home, even the hired servants 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.”
I remember a saying that Dr. Richard Dobbins said in our counseling classes. “People will not change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” People will talk about change and think about change, but they will not change the direction of their lives until the pain of staying where they are is greater than the pain of change.
God knows what it will take for us to change the direction of our lives. You cannot make anyone change. You cannot even make yourself change until enough is enough.
This young man would not change until he “came to His senses.” As he was homeless, destitute, hungry, and alone, he would not change. Before he left, he realized that even the servants under His father’s care were better off than what he was going through in the pig pen.
The change came for this young man when he said, I will get up and return to my father. The change will come in our lives when we say, “I am going back to my Heavenly Father.”
Are you ready to come back to your Heavenly Father? That is the beginning of the change for your journey! The
Father is waiting for you to return to Him! The choice is up to you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the Lead Senior Pastor of the International Christian Church (ICC) at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
