In the story of the prodigal son, he had taken all that his
father had for him and had taken it into the "wilderness", where
he might use it as he wished in unscrupulous and riotous
spending. But unlike the Christian community this prodigal son
came to a remembrance of who he really is, and who his father
is, and the prosperity of those who are part of his father's
house.
The word prodigal is not found in the bible, but is a word used
to describe the type of spending of the son in Luke 15 who left
his father's house and turn to riotous living. It also refers to
using resources freely and recklessly and wastefully.
When a person becomes a Christian, that person is adopted into
the kingdom of God, and
automatically are privileged to the blessings of God. This can
be liken to the prodigal son who when he had reached certain
requirements received certain blessings of his father.
Having received his blessings he didn't understand how to use
them, and how to improve upon them in order to gain more. This
can be related to Christians in the church who have come into
the kingdom have receive the "rest" of Christ and the living
water which was promised, and their spiritual thirst has been
quenched, but do not improve nor maintain these blessings
because of ignorance.
Similarly to the prodigal son many Christians have moved away
from the good living offered by the father, and has turned to
the doctrine and traditions of men such as things like the
ten
Commandments, and
tithing which are no longer in place. They
have forsaken the mercies and grace of God for the weight of the
law, which for the most part they do not adhere to.
Many Christians like the prodigal son have taken a journey to a
far country away from their father and are involved in riotous
living. This has been framed in Christians living defeated lives
in terms of depression, disease, poverty, and discontent. These
are things which if the Christian were to only believe and have
faith could be release of all these burdens. Christians should
not be stricken by disease as the bible states if one is sick
among you let him go to the elders to anoint them with oil and
the prayer of faith shall raise up the sick. Christians are
suffering because they truly do not understand who they are, and
what type of birth rite they are carrying.
Unlike Christians today, when times of famine and depression
came into being he knew who
he was and more importantly who his father was, and was able to
remember how good it was in
the environs of his father. He was then at this point able to
pick himself from the trough of life, and return to his father's
house.
Just like the father of the prodigal son our heavenly father is
waiting on many Christians to understand who they are in Christ
and give up they riotous living and ask for forgiveness of their
sins so he might place a good robe, and a ring on the hand, and
shoes on the feet of that wayward child. Our heavenly father
will then be able to say, my son was dead, and is now alive
again, he was lost and is found.
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