and the younger son said to his father, “Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. Luke 15:12 NABRE
Questioned about His choices in friends, Jesus tells three parables about the lost returning to God. One is the Prodigal Son who demands his share of his father’s estate and runs off to live a life of partying and pleasure. The son spends all he has partying with friends and strangers and ends up broke during a famine. Needing to take any work to survive, he becomes servant to pigs. Everything in his life is destroyed, he can barely take care of himself and would be willing to eat the pig’s food to satiate his hunger. Finally He decides he will return to his father’s home and beg forgiveness, asking to be a hired hand. This son has to push through his shame, and muster up the courage to return to the place he broke all ties. We too do things that are mistakes, or lead us in the wrong direction, perhaps we land on an addiction and feel shame not wanting anyone to know what we have done or who we have become. Shame is the work of evil, it keeps us living a life of secrets, never discovering who might love and forgive us, and knowing no matter what we can be restored. Some things we do lead us to hiding who we are, what we are in our own minds. But if we can push through shame, if we can say to someone I did these terrible things, we can learn we are loved and these acts don’t define us.
This son learns the Father is completely forgiving and merciful. The Father doesn’t even ask where he has been or what he has done with all the money, the Father is just happy to have him home. Don’t let shame keep you from seeing a merciful Father.
Do you allow shame to keep you secretive? Can you believe God loves you no matter what?
The prodigal son learns the Father is completely forgiving and merciful. The Father doesn't ask where he has been or what he has done, the Father is just happy to have him home. Don't let shame keep you from seeing a merciful Father. Click To Tweet#bible #godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #shame #courage #Luke #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #cross #last #gospels #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways