“......the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property in reckless living.”
Luke 15:13
KJV reads “wasted his substance”
This past week, David and I joined a national day of prayer hosted by Redleaf Prayer Ministries focused on the “Great Commission” from Matthew chapter 28. We prayed for hearts to hold the desire of Jesus to seek and save the lost, to see opportunities before us, and boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. One specific hour was dedicated to this week’s thought: the prodigals.
The story Jesus relays in Lukes gospel about the prodigal son shows us a young man who had an inheritance, a blessed home life, well provided for, yet squandering his inheritance. Interesting to note he is not a prodigal because he left home. He is a prodigal because he squandered his inheritance. Something I had never considered until David pointed it out. The word prodigal is defined as “spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant”.
I began to think about the us as children of God, given this great inheritance through Jesus Christ and wondered how God viewed my stewardship of all the great blessings He has bestowed upon me. Have I taken the blessings of God only to consume them upon myself; doing my own thing? Would He think I was wasteful?
I’m sure the Father hoped the son would take his inheritance and use it for good.
God is a flow, a river of life giving water designed to be flowing into and out of us. He works in us that He might work through us. One of the hardest lessons I learned as a believer was how to be a resource God could use. “Yes Lord” was not a ready answer for me. Many opportunities given were rejected until I came to a place of understanding that I am Gods resource here, now, on this earth.
We might think we’re doing pretty good, but God’s view of our stewardship is the question we are considering as we move forward into these new days.
Do we live in our Fathers house solely for the benefits He gives to us or have we learned to come and go, spend and be spent at His pleasure and purpose?
Coming out of this season, we’ve all had the opportunity for much introspection, never for the purpose of condemnation but evaluation. What talents have been committed to us? Are we using them as they’ve been intended or have we squandered them?
For clarity’s sake the parable is about what the son squandered, which means “to waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner”. Even the son who stayed in the house, was seemingly unaware of all that was his to use. Is it any wonder the admonition to wake up, put off every weight, keep our lamps full, redeem the time, are all words, in one degree or another, being heard prophetically across our nation?
We are all aware of living in a significant moment in the timing of God. We are present in 2020 on purpose. We are vessels that have been worked by the hand of God and fitted for the masters use, prepared for such a time as this.
Each of us have been given an inheritance in Jesus. We have a place in our Fathers house and all that He has is ours, not to be consumed on our own lusts but resources that are to be freely given since they have been freely received.
As we come forth from the places of isolation, may we, in wisdom and understanding, righteously dispense the inheritance we’ve been given and glorify our Father.