Luke 15:31-32
" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
These verses are the conclusion to the Parable of the Lost Son. The father is talking to his older son, because the older son was upset when his brother came back and was treated like royalty. The younger son had demanded his inheritance from his father, then left for a distant land, and squandered his father's wealth on wild living and prostitutes. This is why the older son is so mad.
Do you have a hard time celebrating when someone comes to faith? What about when it's a close relative, like in this parable?
For most of us, it's much easier to celebrate that "lost son" returning when it is someone that we aren't close to. We haven't felt the effects of their rebellion. Having an outsider's perspective we can truly celebrate that that person has come back to the fold.
It's much more difficult when it is someone close to us, like a brother. When it's a close relative we know well the full effects of their rebellion. They have hurt us, their parents, maybe even their spouse and children; and we have had a front row seat for the whole thing. This is when our love is tested. Can we truly forgive, and celebrate that our brother who was dead is alive again?
Even though this is tough, we must not hang on to our anger and resentment. We must forgive. We must celebrate that our brother will be in heaven with us. The danger of hanging on to that anger and resentment is that we can very quickly find ourselves trading places with our found brother. Anger and resentment can very easily lead us into rebellion against our Father. Just look at how the older brother reacted to his father's love in this parable. We have to fight the temptation to get mad at God when He gives love and forgiveness to those we deem to be unworthy of it. Guess what: None of us are worthy of God's love and forgiveness!
Thankfully, God sent His Son to pay the price for all of our sins while we were still sinners! He paid our debt while we were still His enemies! That's why we can rejoice every time a lost brother is found, because all of us were that lost brother at some point, or points, in our lives.
God bless
Jason Fredrick
Do you have a hard time celebrating when someone comes to faith? What about when it's a close relative, like in this parable?
For most of us, it's much easier to celebrate that "lost son" returning when it is someone that we aren't close to. We haven't felt the effects of their rebellion. Having an outsider's perspective we can truly celebrate that that person has come back to the fold.
It's much more difficult when it is someone close to us, like a brother. When it's a close relative we know well the full effects of their rebellion. They have hurt us, their parents, maybe even their spouse and children; and we have had a front row seat for the whole thing. This is when our love is tested. Can we truly forgive, and celebrate that our brother who was dead is alive again?
Even though this is tough, we must not hang on to our anger and resentment. We must forgive. We must celebrate that our brother will be in heaven with us. The danger of hanging on to that anger and resentment is that we can very quickly find ourselves trading places with our found brother. Anger and resentment can very easily lead us into rebellion against our Father. Just look at how the older brother reacted to his father's love in this parable. We have to fight the temptation to get mad at God when He gives love and forgiveness to those we deem to be unworthy of it. Guess what: None of us are worthy of God's love and forgiveness!
Thankfully, God sent His Son to pay the price for all of our sins while we were still sinners! He paid our debt while we were still His enemies! That's why we can rejoice every time a lost brother is found, because all of us were that lost brother at some point, or points, in our lives.
God bless
Jason Fredrick
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