WBC Daily Devotions June 6-10, 2011

Daily Devotionals for June 6-10

As we continue in our "Present Help in Present Trouble" series next Sunday with a message from Christopher Yuan and his mom, Angela, we are focusing this week in on Luke 15, mainly verses 11-32 -- the Parable of the Lost Son. We thank Clayton Keenon, teacher in the Ecclesia Adult Class, for writing this week's devotionals.

MONDAY, JUNE 6

Today we are reading Luke 15:11-16. The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"I wish you were dead!"

That is what the younger son was saying to his father when he asked for his share of the property. Normally, inheritances are given out when someone dies, but the son was impatient. Apparently, his father was not getting old enough fast enough. He had been waiting around long enough to get what was coming to him, and he was done waiting. How often are we like this son -- asking for our Father's stuff, but rejecting a relationship with the Father? How often do we use God for his blessings?

Despite the insult, the father gives in to the son's demands. In that culture, a father could have severely beaten a son for such an insult, but like God, this father gives his son the freedom to rebel. Most likely, the family wealth was tied up in family land. This means the father would have had to sell off a third of his estate to give the younger brother what he demanded. The land may have been in their family for generations, but now it was liquidated to indulge an impulsive young man. How often do we scorn God's kindness?

Once his hands are on the money, the younger son skips town. Far from home, he denies himself no pleasure. He restrains no urges. Whatever his eyes want, his hands grab. Freely, he exchanges the wealth of his heritage for fleeting enjoyment. How many times have we traded God's generosity for cheap pleasures and quick thrills?

Unfortunately -- or perhaps fortunately -- his resources ran out before his appetites did, and the young man found himself hungry and needy. Desperate, he turns to whatever he can find to fill his belly. Not only is he reduced to working a job considered shameful and dirty job by Jews in that day, but the work did not provide enough to even fill his stomach. He joins the animals at the trough, feasting on their slop. He does not just work with pigs, he becomes one. How many times have we pursued our own pleasures, only to be left unsatisfied and ashamed?

Father,
My heart is restless until it finds rest in You. Forgive me for the insult and the rejection I have shown You. Show me the hollowness of the sin I think will satisfy. Make me satisfied in knowing You, not just in the gifts You give me, which I so foolishly waste.
Amen

TUESDAY, JUNE 7

Today we are reading Luke 15:17-24. The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

I wonder if it was before or after he tried the pigs' food that it dawned on the younger son that he could go home. Could he? Really? Home? Did he still have one of those? If he went back, there would surely be shame. Lots of shame. There would probably punishment. There might even be death. After what he did? It could happen. Home? He could never go back there.

God? Could God accept me? After what I have done. I'm not so sure about that. Could I face Him? What would He say to me? What would He do? No. I can't go to God.

Then, it dawned on him, what if he paid him back? What if he worked off his debt? He might not be a son, but what if he was a servant? Maybe, just maybe, if he worked hard enough, his father would at least let him on the property. Maybe?

I could try and clean up my act. I could get better. I might not be the best Christian ever, but I could get my act together. If I was good enough, maybe God would let me in. Maybe?

After rehearsing his plea bargain, the younger son stirs up his gumption and heads home. In the distance, he sees his old house. His father is standing outside, looking his way. What will the expression on his face be? What will he say? Wait? What is he doing? Why is he running? As the father embraces him, the son spits out his bargain, "I am no longer worthy..." But the father cuts him
off before he can get to the part about working off his debt. There will be no pleading. There will be no payback. There will only be a party.

My child, the father says, you do not need to beg for My forgiveness. You do not need to earn My acceptance. You do not need to labor for My love. You only need to turn back. I am already running.

Father,
Teach me the truth of Your grace. Turn my heart back to You in repentance. Forgive my rebellion. Embrace me with Your love. Lord, I am not worthy to be called Your [son or daughter]. Thank You for calling my Your child anyway.
Amen

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8

Today we are reading Luke 15:25-30. The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But 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. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

He had always been the good one. From when he was little, he was conscientious, obedient, and responsible. There was never any complaining, just a job well done. He had always struggled with his younger brother. He was never quite sure what to do with him. The kid could never finish a task without getting distracted, and he was always pushing the envelope. Freedom. That is all his brother ever wanted. There was no room for hard work, character development, or self-denial. He just wanted the good times, but he did not want to earn them. If there was anything the older brother knew how to do, it was earning what he got. That is why he was initially confused and ultimately angered by the party his father was throwing. His brother had not earned it. In fact, he had done the opposite. That boy should have received a sharp backhand across the face, not the prize heifer! The older brother was the one who had kept all the rules, why had his father done nothing for him?

Those of us who have been around church life for a while can be like the older brother. We work hard to be good, to please God. We do the things we are supposed to do. We go to the services. We volunteer. We are in a community group. We pray and read our Bibles. We listen to the right music, read the right books, and know the right answers. We are doing what we think God wants. Why won't God bless us?

When we think that our behavior earns our status with God, we end up holding God at arm's length. We feel like we have given God what He wanted, and now He owes us. When He does not give us what we want, we get angry. We end up demanding from God. We end up like the older brother, standing outside yelling in the Father's face. In this story, there are two lost sons. The younger brother was rebellious. The older brother was religious. Both were far from the Father.

Father,
My good deeds are like filthy rags before You. Forgive me for my religion. Forgive me for my self-righteousness. Forgive me for holding my good behavior over Your head, like I have earned Your blessing. Help me know that all You have is mine, even before I have earned it. Thank You for Your grace, even when I won't admit I need it.
Amen

THURSDAY, JUNE 9

This week we are reading Luke 15:20-32, Jesus' Parable of the Lost Son. (Pay special attention to the verses highlighted in bold, and what they say about the father in this parable.) The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

31"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

The most striking figure in these stories is the father. He has two sons who completely misunderstand him. The one demands the father's stuff in outright rebellion. The other demands the father's stuff by trying to earn it. What neither realized is that the father was not holding anything back from them. All
the father had was already given to his sons. The father did not care about the money. What he cared about was his children. He wanted them to know him, to celebrate with him.

And the father did not care what it cost him to be with his sons. In those days, wealthy, estate-owning men would not be seen exerting themselves through running. It was shameful and beneath their dignity. But this father, moved by compassion, is running headlong towards his returning runaway. If a
guest refused to come to your party, it was an insult. Begging for them to come was degrading. But
here is the father, pleading with his older son to be part of the celebration. Shame is not too much for the father to bear, if he can be with his children.

God is not holding back. He is not refusing to bless us. He is not denying us his affection or love. He is not making us earn it. If it is costly to welcome us back, He will pay it gladly -- He did when He gave us Jesus. If it is shameful to bring us to Him, He will bear it -- He did when Jesus hung on the cross. He loves us. He welcomes us. The question is: Will we join the celebration?

Father,
Your love is beyond my comprehension. Nothing I do can earn it. Nothing I do can lose it. Thank You for paying the cost and bearing the shame to welcome me back. Draw me into Your celebration, and give me the joy of knowing Your love.
Amen

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

8 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 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. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 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.'"

If you read the whole of Luke 15, you realize that the whole chapter is about parties. The religious leaders were concerned about the people Jesus was partying with. He seemed to have all of the wrong people around him all the time. What was he thinking?

Jesus told three parables in response to the religious leaders. Each of them ends with a celebration. A lost sheep is rescued. Party! A lost coin is recovered. Party! A lost son returns. Party! And so, the chapter ends the way it began. The Pharisees and the good son -- the rule-keeping, clean-living, hard-working ones -- are standing outside the party, criticizing the host. Why are you partying with that sinner? And Jesus is asking them a question in return. Why aren't you partying with this sinner?

And that is the question for us. Will we join in the rejoicing of heaven or not? Will we welcome in the sinners -- the wrong types of people, the people who do not get the religious game we play, the people who can't keep all the rules straight? If Jesus is partying with sinners, and we want to be with Jesus, where are the sinners? Why do people who have most obvious sins feel the most unwelcome at church? Do you surround yourself mostly with people who fit in with religious, church culture? Or do you find yourself with people who might be labeled "sinners"? Would they feel comfortable around you? Would you feel comfortable around them? Who are you partying with?

Father,
Make Your community like You -- welcoming to sinners. Forgive me for refusing to join Your celebration. Forgive me for holding people at arm's length. Turn my heart toward people who feel the most excluded from church. Teach me to embrace those You embrace.
Amen