MEMORY VERSE: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:20
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hebrew 5-7
BIBLE READING: Luke 15:11-32
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus spoke about the parable of the prodigal son. One morning, he walked up to his wealthy father and asked for his inheritance – his share of the old man’s estate. Disappointed, deflated, dejected, the old man called for his estate agent. When he arrived, the old man divided his property into two – since he had only two sons – and gave the younger his share. Few days later, the boy travelled to a far country and began to live big. He began to pop champagne and follow after strange women. Within a short while his wealth was spent, and he began to starve. In order to survive, he got a job on a pig farm as an attendant and fed on the pigs' leftover. His situation got worse and worse, so he decided to return home and work for his father as a servant since he was not qualified to be called his son anymore. Luke 15:20 says: “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
Jesus often taught truths in the form of stories or parables. The way that old man behaved toward his prodigal son is literally the same way our Father in heaven behaves towards backsliders when they return home. He welcomes them back with open arms. Have you backslidded back into the world? The Lord is waiting to receive you back with open arms – not as a slave but as a son. Although, He is not happy that you backslidded, He is not crossed with you. Just as the prodigal son was restored, restoration awaits any backslidden Christian. The fact that you committed abortion when you backslidded does not mean the Lord will not receive you back. There are many who think the Lord will not receive them back because of the terrible things they did when they backslidded; friend it is not so. There is restoration for anyone who returns to the Lord regardless of how terrible they have been.
Yesterday we spoke about the correct response to sin. After you must have confessed your sins to God, there is also a need to confess your sins to man. You see, even after God forgives our sins and forgets them forever, our past isn’t magically erased. Hurt and angry people still lie along the way behind us. With God’s help we must go back to each one we can find and ask for his or her forgiveness. It’s not an easy thing to do but it must be done. After i gave my life to Christ i had to call a lady i offended back in my high school days and apologised to her. She didn’t even remember the incident again but she was amazed that i would do such a thing.
ACTION: Can i suggest a project that will help you settle the things of the past? Make a list of people you have hurt and things you need to set right. After you have made your list, lay it down before the Lord. (No one else needs to see it, so destroy it as soon as you can). Confess your sins to Him. Then determine how you will contact each person on your list to ask for his or her forgiveness and make restitution, if necessary. The bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
NOTE: Confession is the healing balm of our soul.
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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world
