Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. . . So he got up and went to his father. While he 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.”

Devotion based on Luke 15:11-13,20

Jesus told a heart-wrenching story. You can read it in Luke 15:11-32. The younger son demanded his share of his father’s estate. Greed lured him away from his father’s home, where he had all he needed. His decision to take his inheritance and squander it eventually left him with nothing. A story like this makes our blood boil. Can you believe the audacity of the son that was so greedy and thankless!

Greed can easily lure our hearts away from the grace of our heavenly Father, which we’ve had at our disposal all along. We’ve felt the tug of a greedy heart that thinks our Father’s love and providence aren’t enough. We’ve given into the allure of material wealth as a replacement for the satisfaction that only our Savior’s love can give. The heartbreaking story of the younger son is our story, too.

Thank God, that’s not the end of the story. More extravagant than the lifestyle of the son who squandered everything is the lavish love of his father, who spared no expense in welcoming his son home. The son came to his senses and decided to return to his father’s house. His father was watching and waiting with open arms to welcome him home as a son.

God’s grace more than covers our sins of greed. Our longing hearts finally find what wealth cannot buy. We find our loving Father always ready to welcome us home with open arms. We find that the gift of our Savior’s forgiveness doesn’t depreciate or become depleted like all our earthly assets. We discover again that our Father’s love and his Son’s sacrifice are always enough.

Prayer:

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.