Luke 15:11 says, And he said, A certain man had two sons: Jesus started with one in a hundred, then one in ten, and now it was one in two. Verse twelve adds, 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. The younger of the two sons went to his father and demanded his inheritance, which he really wasn't entitled to it until his father died. Sometimes, people go to God making demands, but we are really not entitled to anything that God doesn't want to give us. Verse thirteen continues, 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. If God does bless us materially, we need to make sure we aren't like the young man and move away from Him and waste it all on riotous living. Verse fourteen states, And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. After the younger son wasted all his money, there was a famine in the land. If we are away from our heavenly Father, we can expect a spiritual famine. Verse fifteen adds, And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. The young man was reduced to hiring himself out to feed swine, which would have been very very demeaning for a man who had once considered himself wealthy. Verse sixteen continues, And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. The young man was hungry enough to eat the husks that the swine at, and anyone who may have claimed to be his friend when he had money was no longer there to help him. When we move a long way from God, we are totally on our own. There is no one, friend or former friend, who can help us even if they would. Verse seventeen says, 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 young man finally came to his senses and realized that he would be better off as a servant in his father's house than he was where he currently was. If we come to our senses, we will realize that we are better off as servants of God than we are as the richest person in the world, much less as the poorest. Verse eighteen adds, I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, The young man decided to put pride aside and return to his father's house. If we are a Christian and have strayed away from God, hopefully we will came back to Him. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and become a child of God, the hopefully you will come to your senses and come to Him. Verse nineteen continues, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. The young man felt that he was no longer worthy to be called a son and would request to just be a servant in his fatherr's house. We likewise are not worthy to be children of God, but He gives us that right. Still, we are better off simply as servants of God than being the most powerful person in the world without Him. Verse twenty declares, 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. When the young man returned to his father, his father saw him a long way off, had compassion on him, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. He freely and gladly welcomed his son back, and God will always have compassion on us and welcome us back if we have strayed away. Of course, He also has compassion on us to welcome us to come to Him the first time by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
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