The parable  of the prodigal son is powerful in so many ways and it speaks to us in so many levels. How about you? Do you identify more with the prodigal son or with the elder brother? I just realized that the brothers had something in common after all. They were both unhappy with their father. They were both unable to understand their father’s goodness. The younger son decided to find his happiness elsewhere – with no success. The older son stayed home but didn’t know how to enjoy life with his father. They were both unable to find true happiness. Does this ring any bells?

The number one reason why people leave faith is their inability to enjoy life with God. They don’t know how to use the gifts of their Father. They don’t know how to live out their faith in a meaningful and joyful way.

Just like the father of these two brothers God is saying to all of us: “everything I have is yours” (John 15:31, NLT,*). All the gifts of God are ours, we just need to learn to use them. God wants to offer us abundant life – how do we respond? Do we take time to learn to enjoy life with our Father? Or do we complain that everything is so boring and take off? Or do we settle with religious but not spiritually empowered lives?

I hope we turn to our heavenly Father in order to live in grace and freedom. I hope we dump at the cross our inability to enjoy life with God. And I hope we all take time to learn what it really means to live abundantly. Because that was the ultimate goal of Jesus: “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)(John 10:10, AMP,*).

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for your endless goodness
and patience with us.
Thank you for boundless grace
that you extend to us.
Help us to get to know you better.
Enable us to enjoy life with you.
Show us what it means to live abundantly.
Empower us to live like you meant us to live.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you respond to the parable of the prodigal son and his brother?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you learn to enjoy life with God!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of  Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty, Unforced Rhythms, Playdates with God, and counting blessings with Ann Voskamp: #1127  God offers us abundant life.