Balls of Priority - Health

Juggling the balls of life, faith, family, friends, health, and work, is difficult at times because they all desire so much of our attention.  But we have learned that if we don’t prioritize faith as the #1 ball, we are assured we will let the other 4 balls drop. 

The faith ball plays such an important role in the success of the other 4.  Without faith, we fail to know what God desires for the family.  Without faith, we fail to see what God desires in friendships.  Without faith, we fail to discover what God desires for health.

Faith shows us that family, when done God’s way, will result in a family that has success and finds peace.  And God’s way is having wives who respect and submit to their husbands, husbands who love their wives as Christ loved the Church, and children who obey their parents. 

Yet the success of the family relies heavily upon the husband because he should be displaying the greatest love ever shown.  Removing the influence of Satan in a relationship, you give me a husband who loves his wife in the same way that Christ loved the church, and you will see wives that willing submit unto the husband’s leadership and children who will obey.

Faith also shows us that friendships, Godly friendships, are critical to our encouragement, our strength, and our resolve to persevere in our faith.  Satan will always try and stop Godly friendships from connecting.  He does this to keep us alone and vulnerable – to keep us weak and open for attack.  And so faith reminds us that if we want to stop from becoming the Devil’s prey, we must seek friendships that will remind us of our relationship with God.

But today, we’re going to look at how faith shows us what God desires for our health.  And though the scripture doesn’t lay out a specific diet or an exercise regiment for all to follow, it does share with us some very important principles regarding what we do with our bodies, which ultimately effects our health.

Though the jest of what Paul expresses in 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 is about sexual immorality, there are 3 verses that I want us to focus on in regard to our bodies, our health.

Verse 12….. “Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible for me – but I will not be mastered by anything.”

Paul was making it very clear to the Church by saying, “You have freedom of choice.  So you’re free to drink, to smoke, to get high, to lust, to fornicate, to commit adultery, to overindulge, to beautify your body with what culture says is beautiful - to do whatever you feel like doing whenever you feel like doing it – but not everything you are free to do is beneficial for you and can actually come to control you.  In fact, that’s why God said not to do them in the first place – to protect you from your own selfish desires.”

A couple chapters later, in discussing food that has been sacrificed to idols, he gives us a godly principle that covers over all areas of life:  “Be careful, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak in faith.  For if what you do in your freedom causes someone to fall into sin and wounds his/her faith, then you have sinned against Christ.  Therefore, if what I am free to do causes someone else to sin, then I will deny myself these freedoms so that I will not cause him/her to fall.”

In other words, he was saying this Godly principle, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.”

But freedom in Christ isn’t really free when you consider the costs of what God is asking you to sacrifice.  Freedom in Christ comes with self-denial, yet alleviates me from becoming a slave to the things I so desire to do.  Freedom in Christ improves my health, both mentally and physically.

It all makes sense:  

1. If I never drink, I never have to worry about becoming an alcoholic. 
2. If I never smoke or take a stimulating drug, I never have to worry about being addicted to a substance. 
3. If I deny myself from lusting over sexual desires, my chances of fornicating or committing adultery are reduced drastically. 
4. If I never beautify my body with the means that are out there, then I never become consumed with the idea of wanting more and more.  
5. If I deny myself my freedoms, I never have to worry about causing someone else to fall into sin.

But after Paul addresses freedom, he then reminds the Church in verses 19 & 20 the reason why self-denial is a must:  “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”

What makes these verses so hard for us to grasp is that we all know the pain and struggles our bodies face; some of it due to the choices we have made and some of it due to the curse of sin handed down from generation to generation.  I know we want to be healthy.  I know we want “6-pack abs” and “buns of steel”.  I know we want our diseases to go away.  I know we want to feel good again.  But, we cannot lose sight that because God gave His best to us in His Son, we are to give our best to Him in honoring Him with our bodies.

We were bought at a price – the price of Jesus Christ crucified.  And because Jesus did this while we were still part of this fallen, cursed world, he paid the ransom to save you and me from our execution day.  

Paul was saying, “Everything is permissible, but you who claim Christ, you who have been given the Holy Spirit, no longer are free to do what you want to do.  Jesus paid for your soul; therefore He is your master.  And Jesus wants you to do only those things that will keep you healthy, your family healthy, and your friends healthy.  Honor God with your body by obeying His commandments.”

And because Jesus paid the price for us we should want to give him our best – our best in everything we do; from what and how we eat, to how we exercise and train, to what we take in and do to our bodies.

You see; our body is not really our body anymore once we accept the ransom paid on our behalf.  We no longer belong to our desires and ourselves.  We now belong to Christ and His desires, which means we pursue the best for our health and body so we can live out our faith to its fullest. 

Balls of Priority - Friends

An anonymous writer wrote:  Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air.  You name them:   work, family, health, friends, and faith, and you’re keeping them all in the air.  You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and faith – are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered.  They will never be the same.

 

It’s becoming very clear that all the balls are important, yet faith drives them all.  You take out faith, you become spiritually destitute and find that no other ball can satisfy the void you have in your soul for God – a void that has been felt for countless generations due to man’s rebellion against God as described in the book of Genesis.

 

Yet in the beginning, God created humankind for faith (the ability to choose what God wants = obedience) and relationship; and He also created male and female to create family – to unite as one flesh.   And we learned how our disobedience, our sin, brought on us a curse that still has our faith taking a back seat to other things and our families falling apart.

 

So in the midst of this curse we are looking at how we can fulfill what God destined for humankind from the beginning.  We are looking at how to live sacrificially for God and for others, especially those in our families.  We are looking at how we can keep the balls of life in the air so that we get the most out of all of them.

 

Well, today’ scripture will help us to see the third ball, the Friend ball, and its importance to our faith.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:17 – 3:13 states that Godly friendships strengthen and encourage our faith.  Godly friendships, friendships grounded in relationship to Christ, are friendships that should strengthen and encourage you and me to stay the course in our faith.  They are friendships that inspire us to live more fully for God and less for ourselves.  They are friendships that challenge us to do right when choices are to be made, and to correct us when we do make the wrong choice.  They are friendships that we long to be part of – that feel like family – that bring us joy and hope even with just the thought about meeting together.

 

But Godly Friendships can be stopped from time to time.

 

So what can get in the way of Godly Friendships?  Satan can - “For we wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul did, again and again – but Satan stopped us.”

 

Why would Satan stop Godly Friendships from coming together?   He relies on weakness to devour his prey.  So if he can keep Godly friends from coming together, he can keep them weak and vulnerable making them more susceptible to his attacks.  If he can stop Godly Friendships from coming together, he knows he can discourage the lone believer, especially in light of the pain, struggle, trial, and persecution he will be bringing into his/her life.

 

But even when Satan can stop the physical connection between Godly Friends, he cannot stop the spiritual connection that exists between them.

 

So why can’t he stop spiritual connections?  He can't stop spiritual connections because Godly Friends pray for one another, they remember how much they enjoy being together, especially when they are apart, and they have the same spirit, the Holy Spirit, living inside them that reminds them that they are in this cause for Christ together.

 

Satan may physically keep you from connecting with those Godly friends of yours, but He cannot stop you from spiritually connecting with them.   He cannot keep you from praying for them.  He cannot keep you from longing to be with them.  He cannot rob you of your joy.   But he can, if you let him:(((

 

The ball of friendship is critical to our faith.  It is critical in that if you only have worldly friends, these friends will not have the desires of the Holy Spirit in mind, and will most likely lead you into temptation.  It is also critical in that if you have Godly friends, these friends will stand by your side encouraging you to stay strong in the Lord.

 

Godly friends help us to grow into spiritual maturity.  Godly friends help us to face all trials and tribulations.  Godly friends help us to stay on the straight and narrow road that leads to life.   And Godly friends must become an important part – a priority - in our faith journey.

 

You see, it’s a choice – a choice between worldly friends, godly friends, or no friends at all.  Which one do you think God desires for the believer, the Follower of Christ?  You are right.  He wants His Children to have Godly friends who can be there for one another to provide encouragement, hope, and accountability.  This in turn will give His Children the courage to befriend those who are not God's Children and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. 

 

Faith, Family, and Friends – all critical in our walk with Christ.  Are you getting your priorities straight? 

Balls of Priority - Family

An anonymous writer wrote:  Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air.  You name them:   work, family, health, friends, and faith, and you’re keeping them all in the air.  You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and faith – are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered.  They will never be the same.

 

Weeks ago we started a series on juggling the 5 balls of life, but due to a broken computer screen that was just replaced, I was unable to continue the series on a weekly basis.  So now, I will try to play catchup.

 

With that being said, God shows us in Luke 14 that faith has to be the #1 ball – it is the most fragile making it the most important.  Jesus showed us that faith must be #1 in our lives because it will keep us from dropping the other four.

 

In fact, focusing on faith first helps us to truly prioritize the other 4 – keeping all the balls balanced and in the air.   Focusing on faith helps us to understand what God is looking to see in the other four.

 

So all we have to do is look at Creation to see what God deems most important.

 

First He created humankind in His image to have relationship with them.   He didn’t just create them and leave them to their own.  He came into their presence to commune with them.  He created them for faith.

 

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Him the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”  Genesis 3: 8-9

 

Second He created male and female to have relationship with one another.  Family was ordained by God from the beginning of time.

 

“But for Adam no suitable helper was found.  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.’  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Genesis 2: 20-25

 

God has laid out the dynamics of family – man can define it however he chooses, but God has made it clear through the scripture I just shared the true definition.  But today we’re not going to delve into what makes a family.  We know that family takes on many different forms in this cursed world.  Rather we will be seeing how faith, if treated as the #1 ball, helps make family into what God desires.

 

And whether single or married, young or old, scripture always provides us with principles that can be applied to our lives.

 

Paul's teaching on family in Ephesians 5: 22 – 6: 4 is often taken  out of context.  And when taken out of context you see where the curse of sin is involved.

 

“To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to your children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’” Genesis 3: 16

 

So on one hand, you have some self-righteous pious men who believe a woman’s sole role is to submit to their authority – that God ordained that they rule over their wives.  So they latch onto verses 22-24 in Ephesians 5.  They use it to keep women in their place.

 

And yet, on the other hand, you have self-righteous irreverent women who believe that men have no headship over them – that women are equal to and even far superior than their male counterparts.  They too latch onto verses 22-24 in Ephesians 5, but to fight against it – to disprove what was written and to live solely for their desires – to defeat the curse.

 

Yet faith, understanding God in the Big Picture, understanding God in context, shows us what God truly desires for the family.  God didn’t desire the curse.  Man chose it through our disobedience.  And so what God is asking His children to do in the face of the curse is to be family the way he destined it to be and live according to the principles He has outlined for all sexes.

 

So God’s Big Idea for us is this:  True Family = Done God’s Way. 

 

In other words, if you want true family, then you got to do it God’s way.  And if you do things God’s way, you’ll get true family.  If you want true family, you have to have faith to understand what God is looking for and then do it His way.

 

You see, the outline of what God had Paul write to the Church – to the believers in Ephesus - was:   Wives submit to your husbands, Husbands love your wives, and Children obey your parents.  But really, it was so much more than that.

 

God puts a “Why” – a reason for doing what He’s asking you to do.  God gives a “Why” because if we will follow His way we will see the fruit of His reward – a family that beats the odds stacked against it in this cursed world.

 

Now before jumping into the “whys”, I want to make these disclaimers:  The word submission is only bad because man has made it bad.  What God established in the beginning was good, and humankind has made a debacle of what true family should look like.  And submission applies to more than just marriage.

 

Now, why should wives submit to their husbands?

 

Everything has an order. 

 

God is saying, “As you submit unto your husbands, you submit unto me.  I am God the Father, Head of all.  Jesus, the Son, submits unto Me and does what I want Him to do.  The Holy Spirit submits unto Me, as well as Jesus, doing what We want Him to do.  The Church is under the submission of Christ who is the Head of the Church.  And the husband, who is the head of the household, is under the submission of Christ.  Therefore, the wife should submit to the husband as this is the order I established.”

 

Submission has its rewards

 

When a wife submits to her husband she is fulfilling God’s plan and will receive His favor.  Not only will she find her joy in the Lord for doing what God desires.  She will also find the favor of her husband who feels lifted up and needed because his wife trusts him to lead.  When a man feels respected and honored by his wife, he will do anything for her.  If she will submit to her husband’s lead, she will be more empowered within the household than the woman who fights her husband to gain that power and equality.

 

Now why should husbands love their wives?

 

Christ sets the example

 

If a husband is a Follower of Christ, he is under the headship of Christ, meaning he is to submit to Christ.  And because Christ so loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, caring for and meeting her needs daily, husbands are to do the same for their wives.

 

Love has its rewards

 

When a husband loves, cares for, meets the needs of his wife, holding no authority over her head, his wife will love him fully and will willingly fall under his headship and submit to his leading.  His wife will trust him because he is doing everything he can to make sure she feels like an equal – which he would die for her if need be.

 

Now, why should children obey their parents?

 

It is a commandment with a promise

 

If children will obey their parents, they will be blessed and enjoy a long life on earth.  This is the promise given.  God established this commandment as one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  In order for order to happen in a home, within a society, children must obey their parents.

 

Obedience has its rewards

 

If children will obey their parents, it means they will be trusted by their parents.  And the more parents trust their children, the more freedom parents will give to their children.  So God makes it clear:  Obey = Freedom.  If children fulfill their natural desire to live for self, they find their freedoms becoming less and less with each disobedient act.

 

If more families were to live as God has directed – were to place their priority on its’ importance and doing it God’s way – we would see families growing in love and connection with one another.  More importantly we would see families growing stronger in their relationship with God who created family.

 

So in conclusion, to keep the balls of life in the air, we’re beginning to see how interconnected they really are.  But the balls of faith and family are rather similar in that God established that if both are to work, He must be central.

 

Juggling the balls of faith and family can and must be done.  But they must be done according to God’s principles.

 

Faith is the #1 Ball.  If it isn’t, all other balls will fall to the ground.  But if it is, then family will become #2.  And the other 3 will fall into line with these two.

 

So the question to conclude today’s message is:  Are you doing family the way God wants it done?  Are children obeying their parents?  Are adults loving and submitting their wills to Christ, who in turn is calling them to love and submit to others, especially their spouses?

 

If not, start.  You won’t be disappointed by the results – the results will come from God.

Balls of Priority - Faith

Ever had to make a choice – a choice you knew would bring negative consequences – a choice that would cost you, whichever path you took?

Let me share a couple stories to set the mood for the start of a Sermon Series God has given me for the next month.

But before I share the first story, a deer hunting story, please see the humor in it.  I know I can because I am a deer hunter.  Though I’ve never had to make this choice, I understand the choice completely.

A group of friends were deer hunting.  They separated into pairs.  That night, one hunter returned alone, staggering under a large eight-point buck.  The other hunters asked, “Where’s Harry?”  The lone hunter replied, “Harry fainted a couple miles up the trail.”  The others couldn’t believe it.  “You mean you left him lying there and carried the deer back instead?”  The man answered, “It was a tough call, but I figured no one was going to steal Harry.”

To this deer hunter it was simply a matter of priorities.  And one of the secrets in life is to have your priorities in order.

The second story is a true story of a professional football player.

In the late 1980’s and early 90’s, Chris Spielman was an awesome linebacker for the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills.  Football was his passion, or so everyone thought.  But in 1994, Chris gladly gave up football when his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with cancer.  He moved into his wife’s hospital room and waited on her hand and foot.  He ate only what she ate, only slept when she slept.  When Stefanie lost her hair to chemotherapy, Chris shaved his head.  He became the primary caretaker for their two children.  And Chris has no regrets about giving up his career.  As he says, “This is my family.  This is my responsibility.  This is my duty.”

Both stories required a decision.  One story probably cost the man many of his friends, especially the one left behind, but it gained him a trophy mount on the wall.  The other cost him fame, fortune, and a career he loved, but it gained him love – love from a spouse and family that cannot be broken in any trial.

Well this is what Jesus wants us to look at over the next five Sundays:  What balls are you juggling?  And what happens if you place too much or not enough focus on one of the balls?

So let’s define these balls with another story.

Some anonymous writer put it like this:  Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air.  You name them:   work, family, health, friends, and faith, and you’re keeping them all in the air.  You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and faith – are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered.  They will never be the same.

Jesus says in Luke 14: 7-24, Prioritize the Balls of Life.

How do I get that from the parables we just read?  

Jesus taught that if a person wants to be exhalted, he/she must first be humble.  “Don’t take the seat at the head of the table.  Take the seat where the servants sit, and then when you’re asked to take the seat at the head, you will be honored.

Jesus taught that if a person wants to be blessed, he/she is to reach out to those who cannot repay the good deed.  “When you have a banquet, have one for those who are poor; for those who are strangers; for those who won’t honor you with an invitation to their party.  Give expecting nothing in return.”

Jesus taught that if a person wants to participate in the eternal banquet being prepared, he/she better prioritize – he/she better quit making everything else more important than faith.  “Enough with the excuses.  Property, family, work, fun, whatever it may be, cannot take preference over Me.  You will miss out if they do.”

And so Jesus teaches clearly through all three parables that life is about choices, and we must get our priorities straight before we can make the choices He desires we make.

Though all five balls of life are important and must be balanced in order for the balls to remain in the air, the most fragile and the most important ball is the ball of faith.  Without it being the #1 ball, our focus will waiver and we will drop the other balls – even if we think we are the greatest juggler in the world.

And the best way to focus on all the balls equally is to concentrate on the most important one, faith.  

Concentrating on faith helps us to see:  that we need to work hard at our jobs, that our bodies are the temple of God and need to be cared for, that strength comes through our friendships, and that we are to genuinely love our families and care for them.

But if we place our concentration on something other than God, something other than the #1 ball, we’re asking for conflict and trouble.

Pastor James W. Moore tells the story of a church member who came to his study one day.  The pastor could see that the man look deeply troubled.

The man said “Pastor, I need to talk.  I am so empty – so dried up inside – I’m scared.”  His voice began to quiver just a bit.  He said “Pastor, I have just come from the doctor’s office – and he told me that I only have six months at best to live.  After I left his office I realized that I have no spiritual resources, no inner strength to cope with this.   There is nothing to fall back on, to lean against.  Many people would be surprised to hear me say that, for I have made lots of money, and people think I am a success not only at making money but at being a strong powerful person.”

He then fell quiet, and the pastor waited in silence for him to go on.  Finally the man said, “You know I’m poor in the things that count the most.  I see it now.  I’ve put my faith in the wrong things, and the truth is I’m destitute, spiritually destitute.  I could pick up the phone and call any bank in Houston and borrow any amount of money to do whatever I want to do.  Just on my name, Reverend, just on my name!  Do you understand?  I could borrow it on my name only.”

The man leaned forward and put his head in his hands, and said softly through tears, “I guess there are some things you can’t buy or borrow.”

There are some things you just can’t buy or borrow.  Family, friends, health, and faith – those glass balls.

But even if this man were to have to have poured himself into his family, his friends, and his health, he would still have been spiritually destitute.

There are 3 other glass balls, but you better prioritize them according to the #1 ball – FAITH.

Why?  Because the Faith ball provides a God who is teaches you how to live eternally in a finite world; the Faith ball provides a God who teaches you how to live heavenly in an immoral world.

And yet we even have to be careful with the Faith ball, and this is a catch 22, because if our focus is extremely on religion and duty, building something in our own strength, and not on what faith teaches us about the other balls, we will certainly drop the other four.

This is why you are seeing and hearing of so many moral failures that are sexual within the church, why 50% of marriages among those claiming Christ as Savior are ending in divorce, why money is embezzled and misused by some within the church, why those working in the church are burning the midnight oil to make ministry happen, why……….

The Faith ball must not be all about doing.  The Faith ball must focus on Jesus – literally sitting at His feet and taking in His every word.

God wants faith to be the #1 priority, the #1 ball in juggling the 5 balls of life.  But He also wants us to know that focusing too much on one ball, or two, will cause us to lose track of the others, thus causing them to fall to the ground and possibly be shattered.

Faith must be the #1 ball.   Is it in your life?  Are you making excuses why everything else in life takes precedence over faith?  

Jesus says "Put Me first and all the others will fall into place."  I don't know about you, but that's what I want. 

The Incredibles Gospel Story - A Super's Love

Over the past few weeks we have looked at the animation movie, The Incredibles, to find relevant spiritual messages that apply to us today.  

We have learned that even though Super Heroes have secret ID’s, none of us can hide anything from God.  He knows exactly who we are, even our innermost secrets.  

We have learned that just as the Super Heroes became frustrated because the world never stays saved, God experiences the same emotion when His creation continues to rebel against Him.  Thank God He is patient with us and gives us many chances.  

We have learned that we need to be careful not to buy into the lie:  “I still got time!”  Even though Mr. Incredible said it three times and was late to his wedding, he still was able to get married.  But if we aren’t spiritually ready for Christ’s return to fetch His Bride, the Church, we won’t be allowed into the wedding banquet.  Once He returns, it’s too late to make things right.  

And we have also learned that Jesus went from being a Super to a Villain.   In less than a week on His return to Jerusalem, the people of His day changed their tune about who He was because they didn’t trust the Real Jesus.  The Real Jesus came to establish His Kingdom in Heaven, not on earth.  The Real Jesus lives and works within the hearts of those who do trust Him.

So today we want to look at what God feels is the most important characteristic about Him – He wants us to see the side of Him that makes Him different than any other god out there.

Just as the Super’s came back to protect and defeat the evil robot because that’s what they were created to do, and more importantly, loved to do, God came back to protect and defeat the evil that haunts us.

And if there is one thing God wants us to see about Him, it is a side to Him that should draw us closer to Him – should have us applauding Him.

Luke 15: 11-31 shows us that side.

There are many different avenues that I could take on this parable, but I want to focus on one.  

I don’t want to look exclusively at the mistakes of the Prodigal Son.  We all have squandered away the physical and spiritual talents that God has purposed for us to use for building His Kingdom.

I don’t want to look at the attitude of the brother.  We all have a tendency to become jealous and claim, “That’s not fair!” especially when someone else is getting all the glory and credit for something we have done.

What I want to focus on is the Father’s reaction to his son’s return.  "But while he (the son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."  

Even though the son had squandered away everything that his father had given him, even though the son had wasted the years of prosperity that the father had worked long and hard to achieve, even though the son had made many immoral decisions, the father longed for his son’s return.  He longed for the day he would see his son again.

The father knew that the son had a change of heart, and had forgiven him before he ever spoke a word.

He knew that his son was truly sorry for the mess he had made of his life.  He knew his son was repentant and wanted to start a new life.

How did he know this?  He knew this because his son came back.

Then his son spoke – "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

He didn’t make excuses for his behavior.  He didn’t justify his actions or blame anyone for his mistakes.  He humbly said, “Dad, I messed up, and I’m willing to accept what you want me to do.”

The misconception of a prodigal is that he/she is someone who is a black sheep in the family - someone who goes off and does wild and crazy things to rebel against the authority of his/her parents.  And because people have this misconceived idea they tend to think they are okay and don’t need to change.

When I was teaching in VA, I carpooled with some other ladies from WV.  I remember conversations we had in particular that dealt with Church and Heaven.  One of the young ladies said countless times, “If our principal, who is a Christian, can make it into Heaven, certainly God won’t keep me out.” (She didn’t care for the principal).  She also said, “I enjoy going to church and God knows I am a good person.  Therefore, I don’t think He’ll keep me out of Heaven because I’m living with and having relations with a man who’s not my husband.  Those sins aren’t going to keep me out of Heaven.”

You might be thinking I’m making this up to prove my point.  But I’m not.  I’m not exaggerating anything.

She really believed that she could have the best of both worlds.  She believed that God overlooks the small sins, not the big ones like murder and stealing, just as long as the small sins don’t hurt others.  She truly believed she was not a prodigal - she didn’t hurt anyone – “she wasn’t a prostitute strung out on drugs and alcohol.”

But the definition of a prodigal is not based upon human standards and comparisons, but rather upon God’s.  And when we look at ourselves in God’s mirror, we really should see that we are all prodigals – any sin, big or small, makes us a prodigal.  You and I are the “prodigal” until we return home – for good.

But the good news for any prodigal:  God is the Father in this story.  God is the father who anxiously awaits – who is looking out the window everyday – to see if His prodigal child is returning.  God is the father whose heart aches as He knows His child is living loosely and wasting years.  God is the father who goes running to his child upon return.

Other god’s are angry and damning – a person can never live up to the expectations set by them.  But God, the Real God, the Father of Jesus, the Father of all whom return to Him, is a loving God who welcomes home anyone who comes to his/her senses.

The Real God is not in the “gotcha” business.  No, He’s in the “running to meet you with open arms” business, the “wrap His arms around you and greet you with a kiss” business, the “compassion, love, and mercy” business.

But there is one thing about this Real God, He doesn’t force anyone to return to Him.  He blesses you (knowing you will squander it) and sends you on your way with everything you need to survive on your own.  Yet, despite wasting His money, His property, and His resources, He still welcomes you Home like nothing ever happened.  He still welcomes you home when you come to your senses and say, “Dad, I messed up, and I’m willing to accept what you want me to do.  I’m willing to accept your risen Son as my salvation.  I’m willing to be your servant.”

What a glorious day that is for God when a prodigal realizes, “I’m better off with Dad.”