All is not well in the family. Meet the second son of the Prodigal Son story. This is the son who stayed home. This is the son who did not humiliate his father or create a public scene by asking for his share of the inheritance. This is the son who has consistently worked in the fields and has sought to do good. He is obviously not pleased that his brother is home or that his dad would throw a party for this loser. Why the anger? Because this son has come to believe that parties are only to be thrown for those who by their own efforts have been faithful. He truly misses the reason for the party. The party is not about what we have done or not done. The party is all about the Father's provision.
Maybe you have never done anything outlandish to rebel against the heart of your Heavenly Father. Maybe you have been raised in the church and feel that you have always sought to be faithful. Maybe your problem is not that you struck out on your own to prove that you could be independent from your father. Maybe you don't have any major failures or train wrecks in your life.
But something just as sinister is at work in your heart! Somehow you have begun to believe that you have earned your place in the family of God. It sometimes comes with being the good brother. You begin to compare yourself with your runaway brother and you come out looking pretty good. A place at the table of the heavenly Father has to do more with your faithfulness, commitment, and hard work instead of the Father's provision.
So when anyone who has strayed comes anywhere near the church, you see them through the grid of your own making. If they have strayed off the faith path or have turned away from God, they are not a part of the family. They are a threat....they are an outsider. It makes you angry that your heavenly Father would still have anything to do with them.
The drift of the older brother is even more tragic than the prodigal son. The prodigal son could see his need for God. The older brother could not see his need for grace, because he felt he had earned his place in the family. He didn't leave. He had worked hard. This is dangerous! If you believe that a place at God's table has to do with your efforts or faithfulness instead of the provision of your heavenly Father, you are just as much a "runaway" as the runaway!
Do you see your need for God's grace or are you trusting in your own goodness? The Bible says that even your most righteous acts are like filthy rags when compared to the righteousness of the heavenly Father. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is only by the provision of your heavenly Father that you have a place in the family! You can choose to sit in the field of your own labors or you can come in and join the party of grace. One leads to eternal death; the other to eternal life.
Lord, I cannot earn my way into your favor. My goodness is a
pitiful token when compared with the beauty of a perfect and holy God.
My only hope is through what Jesus did on the cross for me. I am saved
not by works but through Your grace. Amen.
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