April 21 2025

Monday April 21

The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-16

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.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about lost things. The first, the lost sheep, shows Jesus, the Good Shepherd, pursuing a foolish sinner far from God. The second, the lost coin, pictures a believer still in God’s house but hidden in the dirt, perhaps useless to Him through carelessness, sin, neglect, or distraction. The woman, a picture of the Holy Spirit, lights a candle, cleans the house and finds it. This third parable, the Prodigal Son, portrays a child of God out of fellowship with the Father, a backslider who, through love for the world, willfully chooses separation, reckless living, and ends in misery, enslaved to sin.

The parable of the Prodigal Son reveals both the heartbreak of a child straying from God and the boundless love of our Heavenly Father. This story speaks to believers like you and me, who, like the prodigal, may slide back into the world, losing fellowship with God through our deliberate choices. Let’s explore three lessons from the younger son’s journey:

First, the deliberate choice to stray in the younger son’s demand for his inheritance (v. 12), was a bold rejection of his father’s authority and presence, as if saying, “I’d rather have your wealth than you.” This wasn’t a careless mistake but a willful choice to separate from his father, driven by a love for the world’s pleasures. As believers, we can make similar choices, prioritizing worldly desires, such as materialism, status, or sinful pleasures, over our relationship with God. This backsliding begins in the heart, where we value “the far country” over the Father’s house. Scripture warns, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Choosing the world over God breaks our fellowship with Him, setting us on a path away from His love and purpose.

Second, notice in verse 13 how this reckless path led to ruin. The son “wasted his possessions with prodigal living” in the far country. His reckless lifestyle, squandering his inheritance on fleeting pleasures, led to spiritual and physical poverty. This mirrors the backslider who, having given their substance (time, talents, devotion) to the world, ends up enslaved to sin. The son’s love for the world promised freedom but delivered bondage, leaving him isolated and desperate. Isaiah 55:2 asks, “Why do you spend your money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” As believers, we risk wasting God’s gifts when we chase what cannot fulfill us. The world’s husks and its empty promises leave our souls starving, far from the Father’s provision. (Read Galatians 6:7-8). “Sowing to the flesh reaps corruption”. 

By verses 14-16, the son experiences the misery of broken fellowship. A famine strikes, his resources are gone, and he’s reduced to feeding pigs, longing to eat their food, with “no one giving him anything.” Having given his substance, he now gives himself, becoming a bondslave to a citizen of the far country. This is a picture of sin’s enslavement (v. 15). This is the misery of a believer out of fellowship with God: spiritually lost, dissatisfied, and cut off from the Father’s care. Yet, even in this despair, there’s hope. The son’s misery prepares him to remember his father’s goodness, a reminder of Romans 2:4: “God’s kindness leads us to repentance”. Our Father waits to restore us when we turn back, ready to renew our fellowship with Him.

This parable should challenge us as believers to examine our fellowship with God. Are we, like the prodigal, drifting into the far country, choosing the world’s allure over our Father’s presence? Have we made deliberate choices that lead to reckless living, wasting God’s gifts and landing in spiritual misery? The good news is that our Father’s love never wavers. He longs to restore us, just as the father welcomed his son home.

Challenge: This week, take two practical steps to renew your fellowship with God. 1) Reflect: Spend 10 minutes in prayer, asking God to reveal any choices or loves for the world that have pulled you from Him. Are you living recklessly with His gifts? Write down what He shows you.  2) Repent and Return: Confess any backsliding to God. Take one action to restore fellowship—perhaps recommitting to daily Scripture reading, serving in your church, or seeking reconciliation in a relationship. Trust that God’s grace will meet you as you return.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your unending love, even when we choose the far country. Forgive us for straying and wasting Your gifts. Restore our fellowship with You and empower us to live for Your glory. Guide us in this week’s challenge to return to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Remember 1 John 1:9).

God bless!