10/02/07 - Life Journal - The Prodigal Son

But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:22-24

We've all read the parable of the prodigal son, if you haven't check it out here at Bible Gateway. It is a story, not of taking for granted the son that had stayed with the father, but of the joy in seeing the lost son who figuratively has died and come to life again. The father had to be literally be standing on his roof to see the son coming home when he was "still a long way off".(verse 20)

We spend so much energy in joyful praise with our fellow Christ followers but how many of us are standing on the roof of our house day and night searching for the lost son, waiting and praying for his return to life? Yes, Sundays we need to dig deeper into His word and refresh ourselves with learning, worship and fellowship but the rest of the time we need to be on mission. We spend so much of our "spare" time bogging ourselves down with small groups, classes, prayer groups, support groups, etc. that we have no time to search for the lost sheep! Prepare the banquet and get the fatted calf ready for slaughter. Be searching and waiting with a glorious robe for the lost that we can lead back into His eternal life. Go into the public, we can't hole ourselves away and keep patting each other on the back.

Lord, like the prodigal's father, put me on my roof searching for the sheep I can bring back into your fold. The saved are yours, the lost are mine.