Lessons from the Prodigal Son

Lessons from the Prodigal Son 

Text: Luke 15:12-13 KJVS "And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." 

The parable of the prodigal son was told by Jesus in response to the accusation from the Pharisees that he mingles with sinners. The parable shows the failure of sin, the act of repentance and the joy of salvation. We can say that the parable is a type of our relationship with our almighty Father. How sin separates us from God and how genuine repentance can restore us to our position as sons and heirs of the inheritance by faith through grace. 

From this parable, there are lessons to be learnt and in this blog I dwell on five things to learn from the prodigal son and his experiences. 

1, Lust 

1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

The younger son gave in to lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life in demanding his inheritance while the father was still alive. The Jewish law of inheritance is clear as to the elder son's inheritance over above other children except the father decides otherwise, hence he asked for his inheritance while the father was alive to avoid any controversy. 

This was driven by greed, avarice and lust. Every time we take decisions based on greed and lust it usually ends bad. So let's learn to avoid all forms of lust and greed in our dealings with others as it will also come back to hurt us. 

2, Waste 

The prodigal son was wasteful, he already out of greed collected his inheritance from his father and could have done well to spend the same wisely, to invest today for tomorrow but he led a riotous life and wasted all he had. Some of us are not prodigal sons but we are wasteful with the resources God has given us not realising that life is about mountains and valleys, twists and turns. In the days of plenty learn to be like Joseph and save for the days of famine. A saving culture today will save you from famine tomorrow. Some indulge in lavish weddings, burials, birthdays and all forms of celebrations to prove their financial and societal status. 

Know this, life is not a competition! Don’t give in to waste rather be prudent and circumspect in your dealings. Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. 

3, Wisdom 

The prodigal son only decided to engage himself in gainful employment when he had lost all his inheritance. Imagine if he started a business or got an employment when he still had part of his inheritance. He would have only grown his income. Today, people want prosperity without sweat, breakthrough without effort. It is important that we learn to put our hands to work less we tend to penury. You are never too rich to work or invest. You are never too poor to work or start something small. 

Deuteronomy 2:7 "For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." 

It is the works of thy hand, not your dreams or wishes the Lord will bless. Get up and get going. See you at the top 

4, Self Realisation 

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! The deliverance of the prodigal son started when he came to himself. The realisation of his present situation in comparison to what is obtained in his father's house led to his repentance and then salvation. What are you going through? Have you made any self-enquiry? Have you asked yourself the “why” of what you are going though? When will you realise you cannot help yourself but that the almighty God your father loves you so much he sent Jesus to die for you. 

When will you realise only Jesus can break that addiction, bring that peace, joy, love and satisfaction your soul is longing for? Come to Jesus today and your burdens will be swapped for his freedom, your heaviness for his peace of mind. In our father’s house the joy, love and peace you long for abounds. 

5, Action point 

Luke 15:18-20 "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."  

Many wallow in day dreams and pity parties, anything you plan for without executing, is useless! The prodigal son took a step of faith, swallowed his bride and took definite actions to be reconciled to his father. That business you want to start cannot and will not start itself. It is very good to plan but it is the discipline of execution that brings about a new reality. 

Don’t just say it, do it! 

As we learn from the prodigal son I pray the almighty God will bless the works of our hands in Jesus name.