“Then Jesus said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.” So he divided his assets between them. After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need.’” —Luke 15:11–14
Jesus begins this familiar story of the lost son by setting the scene for a display of God’s immeasurable grace. The lost son represents the tax collectors and “sinners”—and ultimately, each one of us! At the beginning of this story, the son arrogantly demands from his father: “Give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.” Isn’t that so like us! We want what we want—and we want it now!
Matthew Henry observes:
“The great folly of sinners is being content to have their share in hand, now in this lifetime to receive their good things. They look only to the things that are seen, and covet only a present enjoyment, but have no care for future happiness.”
I am reminded of the words in Proverbs:
“Remove falsehood and lies far from me; do not give me poverty or riches, feed me with my allotted portion of bread, lest I become satisfied and act deceptively and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I become poor and steal and demean the name of my God.” —Proverbs 30:8–9
While riches and material goods are not in themselves intrinsically bad, the love of them will surely lead us astray. Paul’s words to Timothy describe this situation perfectly:
“Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.” —1 Timothy 6:9–10
The son takes his inheritance and proceeds to waste it on riotous living, leaving him destitute and in desperate need when famine falls on the land. Now this young man is in big trouble! He has put his focus on the wrong things and it has led him to a desperate place.
As believers, we are to be kingdom seekers displaying a life of daily faith. Unfortunately, many refuse to be bound to God’s authority, but like the lost son, bind themselves to the things of this world.
Isn’t it sad that it often takes difficult circumstances for God to get our focus back on Him? Jesus tells us:
“So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” —Matthew 6:31–33
Become More
“It is natural for us to wish and to plan, and it is merciful of the Lord to disappoint our plans and to cross our wishes. For we cannot be safe or happy until we are weaned from our own wills and made simply desirous of being directed by His guidance. Although we understand this we seldom learn to put it into practice without being trained for a while in the school of disappointment. The schemes we form look so plausible and convenient that when they are broken we are ready to say, ‘What a pity!’ We try again, and with no better success; we are grieved, and perhaps angry, and plan another, and so on; eventually, in the course of time, experience and observation begin to convince us that we are no more able than we are worthy to choose correctly for ourselves. The Lord’s invitation to cast our cares upon Him, and His promise to take care of us, appear valuable; and when we have done planning, His plan in our favor gradually opens, and He does more and better for us than we could either ask or think. I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, which if it had taken place in the time and the way I wanted would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge things by their present appearance; but the Lord sees them in their consequences. If we could do the same we would be perfectly of His mind; but since we can’t, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is regarded as one of His heaviest judgments when He gives any person up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk according to their own wisdom.” —John Newton
Further Reflections
“It is our self-importance, not our misery, which gets in His way.” —Daniel Considine
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We are far too easily pleased.” —C.S. Lewis
“The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one.” —A.W. Tozer