Prodigalism


I am convinced that the Big Picture includes something which I did not mention in my page called The Big Picture.  I believe that God's dealings with mankind are set forth in the parable of The Prodigal Son recorded in Luke 15"11-32/

The Parable of the Prodigal Son - Tree of Life Version
Luke 15:11-32  Then Yeshua said, “A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that comes to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. 

“Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything and traveled to a far country, and there he squandered his inheritance on wild living.   Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine came against that country, and he began to be in need.   So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.   And he was longing to fill up on the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one was giving him any.   “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food overflowing, but here I am dying of hunger!   I’ll get up and go to my father, and I’ll say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence.   I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.

 “And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and felt compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.   Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
Luke 15:23  Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let’s celebrate with a feast!   For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life—he was lost and is found!’ Then they began to celebrate. 

 “Now his older son was out in the field. And as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.   And he called out to one of the servants and began to ask what these things could be.   “The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got him back safe and sound.’   But the older son was angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came outside and pleaded with him.   But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look, so many years I’ve slaved away for you—not once did I ignore your order. Yet you’ve never given me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.   But when this son of yours came—the one who has squandered your wealth with prostitutes—for him you killed the fattened calf!”

“Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours.   But it was right to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead but has come back to life! He was lost, but is found.’”

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My belief is that this parable shows us how God deals with His creation and His creatures.  He created us perfect and able to fellowship with Him in the Garden of Eden.  But it did not take us long to go astray after our own ways (with a little help from The Deceiver), and we have been going astray from Him ever since!

Isaiah 53:6  We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

So, God, in His wisdom, allows us to go astray from Him after our own ways in the hope that each of us will come to our senses in whatever pigsty we find ourselves in, and then that we will return to Him in brokenness and contrition to be reconciled with Him for eternity of happy fellowship with Him and Jesus and all of His children..

This was the heart of The Fr. George Story , when Jesus told Fr. George that Fr. George had not been desperate for Him until now.  That was the moment when Fr. George's adventure with Jesus began!!

Interestingly, this also seemed to be the case with King David of Israel.  Even though David had been known as 'the man after God's own heart' for most of his life, it was not until after David's sin with Bathsheba and David's extensive attempts to cover it up with lies, murder and deception, that God came calling through the prophet Nathan, and convicted his of his sin.  That was the end of David's delusion that he was beyond reproach, and David experienced brokenness and contrition as described in Psalm 51.

May I point out that brokenness and contrition have an eternal meaning in Scripture.  Brokenness means the realization by a person that he or she is unable to have fellowship with God and will never be able to have holy fellowship with God because of our inherent uncleanness.  Contrition is the realization that our inability to have holy fellowship with God  is our fault, and no one else is to blame.  Period.

I had the privilege of being with a man who had apparently been blatantly ungodly all of his life during the last moments of his life here on earth.  See John's passing.  I also had the privilege of asking him if he knew that he could ask Jesus into his heart to save him from his sins.  Then I told him and the attending doctor and nurse the Fr. George Story, and John died, peaceful and calm, the moment I finished the story.  I believe that he came to brokenness and contrition while listening to the Fr. George Story.

I also had the privilege of answering my own father's question, "How to I become a born-again Christian"?  My dad had been a good Methodist and a good Rotarian, yet he did not receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of his life until two weeks before he passed on.  But I heard him pray, and heard dad say, "Well, praise the Lord!" right after praying, and have confidence that he became reconciled with God in brokenness and contrition in his hour of desperation. See This Could Be The Last Time.

So, if you are desperate, dear friend, now is the time to call upon the Name of the Lord to save you from your sins, and to deliver you from the domain of darkness so that you can enter the Kingdom of The Son of His Love!!!  If you are not willing to call upon Jesus to be your Savior and Lord of your life, then you are probably not desperate enough to become broken and contrite!