“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!” Luke 15:17 NIV
Remember the story of the prodigal son? Of course, you do because it’s one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. This ungrateful kid squandered his inheritance on wild living and some really bad choices. Of course, we also remember where he ended up – a pigsty. There in the stink he made of his life he made the following life changing decision to go home. “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (Luke 15:18)
It’s a great story but, really? Can we just leave the past behind? All that I squandered, all the time I wasted, all the hurt I experienced, all those I hurt.
However, this is not so much a story about our sinfulness as much as one about our heavenly Father’s forgiveness and generosity.
Max Lucado comments on this story: “Even the apostle Paul had to make this choice. He said, I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, I go straight for the goal (Philippians 3:13-14).
Landing in a pigpen stinks. But staying there…is just plain stupid.”
As I said, it’s a story we are all familiar with, but it is a story that’s worth repeating, over and over again.
Come and see,
Pastor Rob
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