DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE LOST SONS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE LOST SONS

" 'Bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry." (Luke 15:23-25)

The parable of the lost son – the Prodigal Son – is familiar to most people. It is the story of a boy who demanded his inheritance money from his father, and then left home to squander his fortune in wasted living. When he was destitute, he finally came to himself, and returned home to his father. It is a beautiful story of redemption, reconciliation, and the love of the father.

But there was another lost son. Only this son was lost in the father's house. He was the responsible one, who was diligent to do everything that was required by the father. He lived the "straight" life. As the story goes, this son was angry when his little brother, who had wasted his inheritance, came home only to be treated as a royal son. The animosity of the older brother is evident when he told his father, "I have served you all these years, and you never gave me a party." The father responded with the truth that all those years, all that the Father had was his.

This must have hit the scribes and the Pharisees right between the eyes. They were looking down their noses at the sinners, but were so bound up in their righteousness that they could not rejoice when Jesus set people free. They were lost in their religion.

The sad truth is that there are many in churches across America who are lost in church. They do all the right things, but do not really enjoy the benefits of a loving relationship with the Father. In fact, they become indignant when a new believer is celebrated when he comes to faith.

How sad to be lost in the Father's house, and not really participate in the joy of salvation. May we never be like the older brother – lost in church.

Love, Dad