Ever felt negative about a certain someone appearing at church?
Read Luke 15:28-32. “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Imagine how the father felt: so joyful his first-born was back! And, so desperately distressed his second son saw the first and shuttered, shunned him, and said, “Why?”
The prodigal’s brother did not share in his father’s celebration, and that stole his father’s joy.
He reassured his other son. In essence, ‘Yes, I know you’ve done right. And everything I have will be yours, you will receive your due. But we must celebrate the return of your brother, because he has found his way. We certainly did not want him lost forever!’
I wonder how God feels when we can’t rejoice when someone lost, finds Christ, and wants to sit beside us in the pew. Most ‘good’ Christians are enthusiastically receptive, unless that newly saved soul happens to have a history of hurting us.
Someone’s conversion can be hard to swallow if he’s already acted to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
How did the prodigal’s father respond?
Surely the prodigal’s actions had severely hurt his father. Yet, his father celebrated his return, possibly thinking, ‘he’s back, we must be making some sort of progress!’
When that irritating person from the past is in the pew before us, we must ask God to cleanse our hearts, to help us rejoice at His working in someone’s life. It is not our right to judge him, questioning if he is worthy. Because at the end of the day, not one of us is ever ‘worthy.’ And, it’s not about any one of us. We should not journey through life with a “me-focus.” It’s not about me. It’s about God, calling out to each of His children, and each one of us coming to Him.
We all receive grace as a gift and we should not, even mentally, deny that gift to anyone else.
Reflections:
Monday: After reading about the other brother, how do you feel? Do you ever think of that brother as selfish?
Tuesday: Did the father become irritated with the other son because of his limited sight? Can you imagine our limited view ever effecting God in the same way?
Wednesday: Examine the heart. Is there anyone I need to rejoice with or for, who has recently found Christ and needs my support?
Thursday: How easy it is to become consumed with my world, my feelings. Yet, not one of us knows everything. Prayer:
Lord, I come before you now, recognizing how self-centered I am. Please remove that limited sight, and give me Your eyes Lord, help me to see things as you see them. Please help me see the intrinsic value in each person who crosses my path today. Please, let me be an encouragement and not a hindrance to them. Amen.
Friday: As often as we make mistakes, God is more than willing to forgive us when we come to Him with a truly repentant heart. Spend some time reflecting on what that forgiveness means to you.
Thanks for reading! Please return by Monday, September 9, for the next post!