Mindset

Luke 15: ¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

²⁰ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants,  ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴ for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

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“Aw man, am I going to get punished this time!” I thought to myself. I mean I had promised GOD I would not do this particular sin anymore, yet there I was. My mind started racing as I tried to come up with things to say to GOD. “Maybe I’ll start out with, ‘Remember that time I served those people’?” was the practice in my mind.

• There were many times when I thought about GOD as this ‘graceless’ being.
• There were many times when I looked at GOD as being the ‘ultimate punisher.’
• There were many times when I viewed GOD as an ‘unforgiving tyrant.’

JESUS continues with the illustration of the son who left his father to squander everything. The son was now homeless and worse off than before. When he reasoned that even the father’s servants had it better than him, he decided to practice begging, still having a very wrong view of who his father was.

• GOD wants to have a real relationship with me so I can truly see who HE is.
• GOD wants me to change my sinful view of HIM and stop blaming HIM for not doing enough for me.
• GOD wants me to humbly seek HIM, not demand or command HIM to do stuff for me.

Compassion and love are GOD’s strongest qualities to those who love HIS SON. Yes, HE does allow consequence to happen as part of HIS love, but HE forgives me in spite of my actions. HE has already seen all of my sins, so my temporary goodness is always mired with gunk.

JESUS tries to explain the love of the FATHER who sees my heart a long way off. HE can tell when I have truly given my life to HIM rather than doing life “my” way. HIS compassion is great to me.

• What is your view of GOD?
• Do you think HE has left you?
• Will you stop thinking of GOD negatively and ask GOD for compassion and love today?
• Will you allow GOD to be GOD in your life by confessing how much you are trying to control HIM?

Walking Away

Luke 15: ¹¹ Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. ¹² And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³ And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. ¹⁴ But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

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Tired of the hypocrisy, I stopped going to church. I mean they tell me to “stop sinning” and “give money” yet their actions only pointed to sleeping around and sustaining their salaries, as if GOD were a business. When I left I decided that “sleeping around” and “sustaining my salary” was a good idea. Things did not go well.

• When blame is on my mind, sometimes it is actually a desire.
• When I get mad at what other people are doing, sometimes I’m seeing what I “want” to do.
• When leaving a good place is my first thought, I may have misread why I was there in the first place.

JESUS had just spoken about a lost sheep then a lost coin, now HE provides a parable of a son who saw his father as nothing more than money. In fact, he demanded an inheritance in a way to claim his father as being “dead” to him. He squandered everything and could not sustain himself when life became difficult.

• GOD sees my hurt and understands it.
• GOD sees my tantrums and puts up with it.
• GOD sees my blame, lust, gullibility and rage, yet HE allows me to keep going.

 

With no argument from the father, the son got what he wanted and needed. He received money and compassion. I do not see an argument from the father nor an attempt to explain the dangerous path the young man was going down. GOD allows me to decide the paths I travel. Walking away from GOD was not a good choice for me.

• Are you considering walking away from GOD because you think your life should be better?
• Is life difficult right now and you are tempted to pull away from those who follow GOD?
• Will you put your trust in GOD today in spite of what is going on in your life?

Never too late to return

Deuteronomy 4: ³⁰ All of the things I’ve told you about might happen to you. And you will be in trouble. But later you will return to the Lord your God. You will obey him. ³¹ The Lord your God is tender and loving. He won’t leave you or destroy you. He won’t forget the covenant he made with your people long ago. He took an oath when he made it.

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Staring at the phone drove me crazy! In college I had “friends” who called me constantly wanting to know the “fun” I had in store for them but, alas, I was no longer in college. I didn’t know anyone in this particular town and the apartment I moved into, while extremely close to work, was a semi-retired home full of old ladies.

Boredom quickly set in. “I have got to find a club or something to do” I said to myself. One of the old ladies in the building asked me “which church do you go to?” “Church?” “What’s church?” I said in my mind.  It had been a long time and I hadn’t considered actually worshipping GOD, not until I had chest pains and a broken down car and other problems.

• There are times that I forget GOD.
• There are times where I ignore HIS voice.
• There are times when I leave GOD’s ways to do what I want.

GOD knows what’s best for me so and HE knows I will not make the right decision.  HE takes me out of situations that will harm me and places me right where HE wants me. HE knows the right circumstances to place in front of me to guide me back to HIM.

• GOD is willing to accept me no matter how long I’ve been away from HIM.
• GOD is willing to love me no matter what I’ve done.
• GOD is willing to protect me no matter how low I’ve sank.

GOD wanted a relationship with me so HE died for me. Someone had to die for the sins I commit so HE volunteered. HIS only criteria is my belief, not just in HIS existence but in HIS position. HE wants me to believe I deserve to go to Hell based on my birth and that there is no “good” in me.

HE wants me to believe there is only one way to true worship and salvation and that way is through understanding JESUS volunteered to take away my sins. HIS resurrection placed HIM above all. GOD will never leave me or destroy me because of HIS tender love for me!

• Do you doubt GOD?
• Have you lost your way?
• Can you let GOD guide you back to HIM?
• Won’t you seek HIM again today?