Living a 220 life

The Prodigal Son (Part 1 of 4)

Most of you have probably heard the parable of the prodigal son. Unfortunately, most of you have probably focused on only one of the characters in the story. As I was reading the parable in my quiet time a few days ago, the Lord took me on a journey in which He revealed 4 distinct characters involved in the story with 4 very special lessons. As an outpour of these lessons I’ll be putting 4 seperate posts on the blog; one for each character. We’ll begin with the younger son.

The younger son is typically the son referred to as the prodigal son in the parable and is the one who goes off and spends everything he has. We first see the younger son in Luke 15:12 when he is asking the father for his inheritence now. Understand, for him to ask such a request is incredibly rude and disrespectful to the father. The younger son is in essence saying, “I only want the material things you can offer me. I wish you were dead now so I could have my inheritence.” Culturally speaking, a son who would make such a request during Jesus’ time would probably have been disowned by the father and cut off from any possible inheritence. This obviously doesn’t happen in the story though.

The younger son is given his portion of the inheritence and he departs to a far away land where he lives a lavish life of sin and spends everything he’s been given. Once he’s expended all of his resources, the younger son begins to feel the pain and hunger. In Luke 15:17 we read, “But when he came to himself…”. Folks, the younger son hit rock bottom and then had a realization. It took him loosing all he had before he realized that being with his father was better than all the lavish living he could do. The son decides to go back to his father’s house and plead with him, to allow him to be but a servant in his father’s house. He understands that being even a servant in his father’s house is better than the sin on his own.

The son heads back home but before he can begin pleading with his father he is accepted back into the house as the son he is. The father won’t allow him to be a servant because he maintains him as his son. What amazing grace the father gives the younger son. My friends, the younger son represents one of two ways we rebel against the father. The younger son represents the open disobedience to the father. The younger son represents those of us who wish to waste the Lord’s gifts as we pursue the carnal pleasures of the world.

Friends, are you living your life simply for your own pleasure? Do you seek only those things that make you ‘happy‘? What is more important to you, your own pleasure and happiness or God’s Word enacted in your life? Would you rather be in God’s presence or would you rather live a lavish life of debauchery and sin? Do you love the Father for who He is or do you only want Him for what He can give you? Are you asking Him for your inheritance now? Friends, this is a question we MUST meditate on because all too often we’re actually seeking Him only for His resources and not for His relationship.

If you’re currently living in that far away land, wasting all the Father’s resources, I beg you, turn and run to the Father. He’s waiting for you with open arms and desires to return you to your position as His son or daughter. You haven’t sinned to greatly…you can’t out sin His Grace. Turn today and run back to your Father. He loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you. AMEN!

Who are you?

Recently I was talking with some young Soldiers and inquiring about who they are. They would tell me where they’re from, what their interests are, and what their ambitions are. Typically, when I ask a young Soldier who they are I get responses such as a musician, a student, a husband, or a father. The response is usually the single most important aspect of the persons life and therefore becomes their response as to who they are.

Well, when I inquire of some more experienced Soldiers, who they are, I get a much different response. The response I receive from the older Soldiers is a near unanimous, “I’m a Soldier”. I began wondering what makes the difference between these two responses. I mean, the two groups are only 5 to 10 years apart in age and yet have a completely different response. Then it hit me; after an initial tour of duty, a Soldier must make the decision to either get out or re-enlist for another tour. Typically, when the Soldier decides to re-enlist it’s the decision to make the military a career. In essence, the military goes from something he’s doing for the time to a life style he will live until retirement.

The Soldier makes a concious decision to not only “do” the military but to “live” the military. Once this concious decision is made, the person begins to become a Soldier. Friends, the same is true about Christians. All too often I ask someone who they are and the responses run the gammet. Very few times is the response, “I’m a lover of Jesus” or “I’m a Christian”.

We must make a concious decision that we are not going to “do” church but that we are going to “be” lovers of Jesus Christ. Until we make this decision we are fooling ourselves; we call ourselves Christians yet we have ambitions for everything and everyone other than Jesus and His Kingdom. Revelation 3:16 says, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Until you stop playing the church game; until you stop trying to look good on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, and you start living your entire life for Jesus you’re lying to yourself and living a lukewarm life. A life that is so displeasing to the Lord that He will vomit you out. Friends, I beg you, make a concious decision today that you will follow Him whole heartedly. Give Him all you have. Hold nothing back!

Let me ask you, Who are you? AMEN!

Budgeting for Eternity

My friends, if you google search Christian budgeting you’ll get a whole mess of sites to “teach” you the proper way to budget your money. Some are very good and are helpful in ensuring you stay out of debt however, scripture offers a different concept for budgeting in light of eternity. You see, we’re taught to make wise investments which is good advice; we’re just taught to expect the returns on this side of death. God teaches us to make wise investments with an expected return after death.

Yes, heaven is the obvious return for our investment in Christ. When we surrender to Him we’re guaranteed a place in His kingdom. This is not the investment I’m speaking of. I assume you’ve already made that investment. If you haven’t, you must make that investment first before you’re permitted to make any of the following investments. What I’m speaking of is the reward in heaven.

Matthew 5:12 says, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This verse is encouraging Christians who are being persecuted. The reward is not refering to entrance into heaven but rather a reward in heaven. 2 John 1:8 says, “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.” Understand, some will not receive a full reward when entering the kingdom of God. Certainly, simply entering heaven will be amazing, but scripture teaches not all will be equal in heaven. The inequality will not be that which we know on earth, but it will exist none the less.

Scripture speaks of different crowns we can earn by our actions on earth. The fact some will not earn crowns and others will earn many crowns is one more example of the inequality we’ll experience in heaven. Remember, we’ll be in the presence of our Lord and will be removed from pain and sin; it will be heaven! However, some will wish to offer more to their King but will be unable due to their actions on earth.

Luke 12:33-34 says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no theif comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” My friends, the actions we take today will impact us in heaven! The Lord cares about what we do with our time and our money because it reveals our heart. So let me ask you: What do you spend most of your time doing? Is it something bringing glory to the Lord? What do you spend most of your money on? Is it something bringing glory to the Lord? If the answer is no to these questions then you’re investing in the wrong side of death.

Please understand I’m not saying we earn salvation. We can not earn heaven! Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” So we don’t earn heaven…but we do earn rewards in heaven. Look at the very next verse in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Friends, God created us to do good works and He rewards us for doing them.

What are you investing your time and money in today? Tithing is a good thing but that’s not going to cut it. The Lord doesn’t want 10% of your money; No, He wants 100% of your heart which includes all of your time and all of your money. Take a look at the expenditures of your money and time and you’ll see where your heart is. Is it with God? If not you may want to reconsider your investments. It is 100% guaranteed you will die and all your possessions will remain here. You will lose on this investment…guaranteed. However, investing in people, relationships, advancement of the kingdom of God; those things will go with you…guaranteed. Those are much better odds than wall street. Friends, surrender your life to Him right now; give Him your heart, your money, your time, give Him all of you. Commit your life and your resources to Him! AMEN!

What do you fear?

As I was reading Deuteronomy in my quiet time the other day, I read something rather striking. In Deuteronomy 5 the Ten Commandments are reviewed and shortly after, beginning in verse 25, the people begin telling Moses they don’t want to talk with God out of fear. In verse 27 we read, “You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.” First of all, I found it funny that they told Moses “You go near”. They feared talking with God would kill them so they told Moses, “I’m not doing it, YOU do it”.

The people of God had a true fear of God. At first I thought this was bad and that they would get in trouble for it, but then I read verse 28. The end of the verse is God talking about their fear when He says, “They are right in all that they have spoken.” God was pleased with their fear of Him. Then it dawned on me; because of their fear of God they claim in verse 27 “and we will hear and do it.” You see, they truely believed God is real, that He would kill them if they spoke to Him face to face, and that He would punish them if they were disobedient. Their fear moved them to obey all God commanded and this pleased the Lord.

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”. My friends, do you fear the Lord? Does your life say you fear the Lord? Is your life filled with obedience to God’s Word or do you snicker at God’s commands as you live your life how you want to live it? If you’re living a life of sin you don’t have to remain there. The Lord simply wants you to fear Him, love Him, and obey Him. “But how do I learn to fear the Lord?” you ask. Simple:

Proverbs 2:1-5 explains, “if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

Oh my beloved friends in the Lord, if you want to live an obedient life that is pleasing to your Savior you need to spend time with Him. Spend time seeking Him in His Word, in prayer, in fellowship, and in evangelism. As you begin seeking Him you will begin to fall passionately in love with Him and at the same time develop a healthy fear of the Lord as your Creator and God. So let me ask you, what do you fear? Does your life reveal a fear of the Lord? I pray that it soon will. AMEN!

His way or mine?

“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:32-33

Oh my friends in the Lord, how often we do just as Peter did here. We get something in our minds and pursue it with blinders on; OR better yet, we work through our plan, logically walking through every step, convincing ourselves it’s the Lord’s will, all the while never seeking Him for an answer. Let me tell you right now, if you’re not seeking the Lord’s guidance in prayer then you’re not in His will. The Lord’s will is that your heart seeks Him without ceasing. This can’t be done if you’re not in regular prayer.

Jesus offers us a great example of how to overcome this worldly mindset. First, Jesus immediately recognized thinking that was not of God. Jesus spent so much time with the Father that when something not of the Father was presented He immediately recognized it. Second, Jesus immediately rebuked the worldly thought. We must not allow our materialistic desires even an inch. Rebuke those thoughts immediatley. Third, Jesus knew where His temptation lied. We see this in the garden when Jesus asks that the cup be removed if it is the Father’s will. Dieing on the cross was tough for Jesus. When Peter offers a way around it Jesus denies the easy way and willingly takes the difficult path that is the Fathers’ way.

Friends, let me encourage you to spend as much time with the Lord as possible. The only way you will move closer to Him and further from worldly thoughts is through transforming time with Jesus. Just rest at His feet, falling passionately in love with Him. Let us not grow so arrogant as to convince God our way is the best way. Release control and allow Him to guide you through prayer. Though you may not be openly rebuking Jesus as Peter did, your actions and decisions without prayerful consideration are just as much a rebuke as Peter’s. Friends, we need to pray more. AMEN!