Which son are you? (Part 1)

Luke 15:11-32

The story of the prodigal son; so familiar, yet so much to learn in just this short passage. Being a woman who spent a significant amount of time as a “prodigal”, I can never read this passage or hear a message on it that the tears don’t sting in my eyes. God let me go, but then waited for me and when I turned and started walking back to Him, He ran back to me. Amazing.

Even if you haven’t ever gone through a season of sin, there are attributes to each of the sons that we can all identify with. Today we will look at the younger son. First of all, the root of the problem with the younger son was that he wasn’t content with what he had, nor was he thankful. So he set off to find satisfaction somewhere else. It is not said very often and most would find it sac religious, but have you ever been unsatisfied with Jesus? I have been. I thought that salvation equaled satisfaction and since I wasn’t satisfied, was I truly saved? This started a cycle that I went in and out of for years, until finally I realized through the grace of the Holy Spirit and His word that satisfaction comes from Christ, but salvation is only the beginning. It is a process of daily (sometimes even every five minutes!) coming before Christ and asking Him to satisfy all my needs. The younger son was walking around with an empty cup looking for anything that would fill it up so he set off to find satisfaction in the world. But, as we look closer into the story we see that he didn’t find it. “After he had spent everything…He longed to fill his stomach…” The younger son was still unsatisfied. However, this time “he came to his senses” and realized that he had everything he ever needed at home with his Father.

So, are you walking around today with an empty cup? Trying to figure out why you are so unsatisfied when you have Jesus? Are you trying to get your husband, wife, children, job, or friends to fill it? Understand this today and accept it as truth: They never will! They can’t and were never meant to! Your husband doesn’t “complete you” as Hollywood has so eloquently wanted us to believe. Those children you have or desire will not complete you either. Only Christ completes us and if we have accepted Him, then turn to Him right now and ask Him to satisfy your needs. The younger son did one thing right in this story, he just came back. Come to Christ today humbly and empty-handed and ask Him to satisfy your soul. This is a prayer He is sure to say ‘yes’ to.