| Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash
In Luke 15, we see the journey of the prodigal son back to His father, and there is great rejoicing because of the lost son who is back home, and there is a party going on for this son.
But the story is not over because there is an older brother in the story, and he comes in from working in the fields, and we see his reaction. In Luke 15, beginning in verse 25, we see that he comes home and hears the music and the people having a party. So he asks the servant what is going on. The servant tells him, “Your brother is back, and your father called for this party to celebrate the return of your brother.”
His reaction starts in verse 28: “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, “All these years, I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to do. And in all that time, I don’t remember you giving me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your wealth on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf.”
Jesus is talking about the other kind of person that serves God out of guilt, out of fear, out of duty, and not out of a heart of love. This older son is really a prodigal son as well. He may not have left home and gone into all kinds of “bad” sin, but he was just as prodigal because he still was not having a relationship with his father. Think about his attitude, “I have been slaving for you….” We must be careful that we may be religious, in church, doing things for God, but we have lost the heart of love, devotion, and adoration for the Lord.
Today no matter what son we may be like? We all must come to Jesus and have the right relationship with Him. If I am far from the Lord, I can come home to the Father today. If I am in the church, but maybe my heart is far away from the Father, I also need to come home to the Father!
Lord, help me to come back to my first love for Jesus!
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.
