The Road Far From Home

Could it be that the younger son unrelentingly pleaded for his portion of the inheritance that his father gave in to his request, or was it to teach him a lesson? Whatever the reason, the son took his belongings and headed far from home. He foolishly wasted his life, spending all he had. Penniless, friendless, and in dire need, he came to his senses, decided to go back home, and ask his father’s forgiveness (Luke 15). Our heavenly Father sometimes gives us what we beg for even though He knows it may take us a long way from home, far away from His care.

The story Jesus told of a prodigal son depicts a selfish child who made poor choices and suffered the results of those decisions but later repented and returned home to his father. During his absence, the father watched for his son, and upon seeing him from a distance, ran to and embraced him, welcoming his homecoming. Jesus’ parable shows us that God our Father loves His children, despite their waywardness. He longs for their return to His care; His love and forgiveness cover the filth of where they’ve been, and He restores them in His family. You’ve not traveled the long, dusty road too far away from God that you cannot go back home to your Father. But you must first make the turn to return. 

Out of Sight

“Where there is no vision, the people perish. . .” (Proverbs 29:18)

People run amuck with no vision of God, choosing to go their way, following their easily deceived hearts. A deceived heart quickly leads the unsuspecting down spiritual, mental, emotional, physical destructive paths. But there’s good news in the second half of the verse: “But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

To keep the law, we must know what it says. Only by reading and meditating on God’s truths can we apply what we learn to our lives and live it out. Even though we fail, we escape visionless perishing by turning to God for forgiveness and restoration, regain a right standing with Him, and a clear vision of who He is. 

What Our Eyes See

 Physical sight and spiritual vision are opposites:

Gehazi stepped outside and saw the city surrounded by a great army with many chariots and horses of the enemy. His eyes “told” him death was imminent. Elisha asked God to open his servant’s eyes that he would see the truth (2 Kings 6:17). The Lord opened the servant’s spiritual eyes, and he saw not only the enemy but the enemy and entire mountain surrounded by God’s heavenly army of horses and fiery chariots. When the servant saw with spiritual vision, he was no longer afraid.

As King Saul and his army cowered in fear, David, the shepherd boy, was unafraid to challenge Goliath, the giant, who repeatedly defied Israel’s God. His confidence wasn’t in the small stone he placed in the sling but in the Lord God. His God, who rescued him before from the sheep’s predators, would defeat the nine-foot warrior he faced. David faced the situation through God’s perspective.

As a child of God, He is on our side and fights for us. The angel of the Lord goes before us; He is behind us, He encamps all around us and delivers us (Psalm 34:7); He holds us and covers us (Psalm 139:5). Stand on the truth of God’s promises. Fear is a liar!

When Words Fail

Divine Assignments

 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

All of God’s gifts (spiritual, people, and motivational) are good and vital to His Church, and each of His children is gifted.

The moment you surrendered your life to Christ, God’s Holy Spirit provided you at least one spiritual gift to help His Church: the ability to give wise advice or a message of unique knowledge; great faith; the power to heal or perform miracles; ability to prophesy, discern God’s message from that of another spirit or speak in or interpret unknown languages (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). Each of God’s gifts is necessary for the Church to function smoothly.

Diverse types of people are beneficial to the body of Christ. You may be one of the “people gifts” Jesus provided after He ascended to His Father: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for ministry and the building up of the Church (Ephesians 4:11–13).

Can you perceive God’s will? Do you enjoy serving or encouraging others, researching and communicating God’s Word, or freely giving your time and resources? Are you a “natural-born” leader and organizer? Are you compassion-driven for people in need? These are called motivational gifts. These tendencies did not “just happen” in your life; they were God-appointed before time began and given the moment of your conception. Do you have carpenter, cooking, or sewing skills, a beautiful singing voice without formal training? Are you known as a “Jack-of-all-trades?” God-given talents. All of God’s gifts are good and vital to His Church. However, Paul, the apostle, tells us that even though we serve in these gifts and skills for God’s glory and care for the needy but lack love for one another, we are nothing, only a loud noise (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Just as the human body has distinct parts, believers are individual members of His Church. God gifted each of us for His purposes, divine assignments, and does not change His mind. Our mission is to lovingly minister with these gifts and talents in His name as His eyes, mouth, hands, and feet, to not only be a blessing to believers but all people.

MIA

 

Only one missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle renders the finished picture incomplete. Your life is meaningful to God’s “big life picture.” He made you in His image; you are His child; He uniquely gifted you for service. But when you are missing in action and don’t fulfill your calling, God’s kingdom work isn’t complete.

Turn Off the Faucet

 “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4)

You ineffectively use time by mopping water spurting everywhere from a faulty faucet before addressing the problem's source. If you don’t turn off the tap or water main, you have a continual flow of mounting difficulties.

The same is true of our lives. By nature, we are sinners. But by God’s goodness and grace, Jesus’ blood supplied the remedy for sin’s cleansing; God made way for right-standing with Him. When we choose wrongdoing over living rightly, we face and must endure the consequences created by those choices—the situation will not right itself.

God shows kindness and patience with His wandering children, intending them to turn from wrong living back to His unflawed, prepared path. But we must not take advantage of His love, treating His longsuffering as “nothing.” Although our Father never forces anyone to turn off the faucet of disobedience, until we do, dripping troubles persist. Once His disobedient children turn from self-seeking waywardness to Him, asking for forgiveness, He cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:9). But understand that the penalties of poor living choices linger.