As I am working through the Gospel of Luke and John now, I came to read one of my favorite passages in Luke 15:11-32, the proverb of a prodigal son. This story tells us so much about our Father`s character, and what He is willing to do only if we make that first step to turn to Him.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Another important thing to note here is that the younger son “came to his senses” when he decided to come back to his Father. When we live in sin, we lose our senses, just like it says in Psalm 81:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 5:5 (please refer to the article on Sobriety Check-Point) that one is given to the desires of heart`s lusts. Sin makes us deaf to convictions of the Holy Spirit, and the further astray one goes, the deafer one becomes to hear God`s voice to repent. That`s why we see that the younger son had to “come to his senses”; he was so lost without God in his life, not having anything left for him to live for, and those circumstances drove him back to his Father. I think the scriptures both in Psalm 81:12 and in 1 Corinthians 5:5 point to exactly that cycle: unless one is given up to his heart`s lust, one would not be able to see that emptiness, futility, and “come to his senses”. Sometimes it`s the only way to get one saved, is to live one alone until that sinful nature brings out that despair of hopelessness, emptiness, and regret. I went through that cycle, and I observe how someone else goes through it now also.
Once the younger son came to his sense, he realized that he didn`t deserve anything, and that is the ultimate point of repentance and regret. I think it`s impossible to truly repent without that brokenness; otherwise, it`s not genuine. God always looks at one`s heart and searches for that contrite spirit, that humbleness, and if it`s not there, than there is no genuineness in repentance (verse 21). This is what Isaiah and David wrote:
Our Father would make a feast in your honor if only you would hearken to Him and come to your senses. If you fill like you lost track in your life and you need to come back because you squandered all that inheritance from Father: His love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, then I urge you to pray to Him and repent just like this younger son did. God`s love is forever, and He stays faithful to us even when we don`t.
It is said in verses 11-24 (NIV):
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. It`s important to note that it didn`t take long for the younger son to gather all the inheritance and to be on a way out. Some of us are like that: we come to God, get saved, accept all His grace and goodness, and love, and then once we got all the inheritance, we are on a way out to keep on living however we want. It doesn`t take us long to “squander” all this inheritance and become needy once again because without God there is no fullness in life.
My life was empty when I tried to live a self-pleasing life. Self-indulgence only works to a certain extent, but with that the degree of loneliness and emptiness never disappears. I think it`s important for us to recognize the reality of God`s love for us to know that He always stays faithful to us, waiting for us to come back to Him, so He could make that feast in one`s honor. That`s the nature of God—He longs for relationship with his children. Another important thing to note here is that the younger son “came to his senses” when he decided to come back to his Father. When we live in sin, we lose our senses, just like it says in Psalm 81:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 5:5 (please refer to the article on Sobriety Check-Point) that one is given to the desires of heart`s lusts. Sin makes us deaf to convictions of the Holy Spirit, and the further astray one goes, the deafer one becomes to hear God`s voice to repent. That`s why we see that the younger son had to “come to his senses”; he was so lost without God in his life, not having anything left for him to live for, and those circumstances drove him back to his Father. I think the scriptures both in Psalm 81:12 and in 1 Corinthians 5:5 point to exactly that cycle: unless one is given up to his heart`s lust, one would not be able to see that emptiness, futility, and “come to his senses”. Sometimes it`s the only way to get one saved, is to live one alone until that sinful nature brings out that despair of hopelessness, emptiness, and regret. I went through that cycle, and I observe how someone else goes through it now also.
Once the younger son came to his sense, he realized that he didn`t deserve anything, and that is the ultimate point of repentance and regret. I think it`s impossible to truly repent without that brokenness; otherwise, it`s not genuine. God always looks at one`s heart and searches for that contrite spirit, that humbleness, and if it`s not there, than there is no genuineness in repentance (verse 21). This is what Isaiah and David wrote:
1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? 2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. (Isaiah 66:1-2 NIV)
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[a] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:17 NIV)
15 For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15 NIV)
That brokenness and desire to know Him is what drives us to repent. I hated that emptiness and sense of wasted life when I lived in sin. I prayed that these scriptures would become alive in my life because it`s the only way to please our Lord—to have that meekness, contrite spirit, to tremble at His word.
Our Father will accept anyone who is willing to come to Him, and He will forgive. It is interesting how Jesus mentions that “this son of mine was dead and is alive again” (verse 24) because when we sin, we are dead in our trespasses, and the punishment for that is hell. When we repent, we rise up from the “dead” with Jesus, we become alive again; we become inheritors of the Heavenly Kingdom. The truth is so overpowering to even think that someone unworthy like me, who was “dead in my sins”, became alive again through His forgiveness and mercy, through acceptance of Jesus blood shed on the cross for me. Jesus blood washes away all of our sins if only we come to Him with our “senses”. The repentance has to be genuine, with contrite spirit and brokenness because it`s the only place where we can understand the reality of our worthless sinful nature and the need for Jesus` sacrifice. Our Father would make a feast in your honor if only you would hearken to Him and come to your senses. If you fill like you lost track in your life and you need to come back because you squandered all that inheritance from Father: His love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, then I urge you to pray to Him and repent just like this younger son did. God`s love is forever, and He stays faithful to us even when we don`t.
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