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The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. Luke 15:16
When you are at your lowest, even the most repulsive things look good. A Jewish boy would never think of being in the presence of a pig. They were repulsive in the Jewish religion and one would be defiled being in the presence of one.
Jesus tells the story of a good Jewish family. The dad had worked hard to build a good lifestyle for his family.
We aren’t told about the spiritual upbringing of the family, but it’s safe to assume that like any Jewish boys, his two sons went to synagogue school every week and learned the importance of following the law.
But families back then, like some families now, weren’t always as squeaky clean as we’d like to think they are. What we see on the outside isn’t necessarily what is going on behind closed doors, or in the hearts of those within the household.
The older son was hardworking, responsible and outwardly loyal to his dad. The younger son had an edge to him no doubt. He may have been a bit rebellious and fed up with the rules and regulations of home life. Why else would he decide to pack his bags, take his inheritance and head off to a life of fun?
The younger son learned the hard way that some friendships last as long as the money holds out. His money was spent. His pseudo friends were gone. But his pride was still intact.
So in an effort to get back on his feet he looked for a job. There was no way, that he would return home and admit he was wrong.
The only job available was at a hog farm where he learned how to feed and care for pigs. I wonder how long it took him to reach bottom? Hog farmers will tell you that hog manure is perhaps the worst smelling manure of all the farm animals and the younger son was living in it!
One day, he was so hungry the hog feed started to look pretty good to him. Did he take just a little taste to solve his curiosity or was the mere thought of it coupled with the stench of his job and the memories of mom’s home cooking what brought him to the end?
When we reach the bottom even though most repulsive things seem good.
You know the rest of the story. The forming and practicing of the speech. The walking home rehearsing it in his mind. Each step closer to home one of excitement and fear (will he take me back?)
He never had a chance to finish his speech. His dad cut him off. There was a celebration to plan, a feast to prepare, guests to invite.
Some think it was the hog food that pushed the boy home, I think it was the prayers of a loving father that pulled the boy home.
Wherever you are, whatever struggles you are enduring, whatever failures you are working through, your father is praying for you to come home.
When we are at our lowest, He is at His strongest to woo us back home into His arms.
The son thought it was hunger that drew his thoughts towards home but I’m guessing it was the moving of God as a result of the prayers of his father.
The same is true for you, you know. Whatever struggle you may be working through is the result of someone who is praying for you and the desire of your father for you to come home.
The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 12:26
In his book “When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People”, Gary Thomas talks about the power and danger of toxic relationships. Toxic people can destroy relationships and steal our freedom to be all we could be.
Toxic people can be found in the church and sometimes spread their toxicity ‘in the name of Jesus’ love’. Stories abound of people who stray from God because of toxic people who came into their lives and drew them away to a life totally foreign to what their upbringing taught them.
I have a friend who nearly lost his family because of his drinking. He was on the way to being an alcoholic when his wife walked out with his two daughters.
As we spent time talking about the situation he shared with me that he’d go into a bar with his friends with no intention of drinking, but once there, he was coerced by his friends to have ‘just one’, which unfortunately led to many.
Thankfully, he made the choices he needed to save his family. He chose to avoid the bar crowd and focus on more wholesome friendships. He and his wife are back together and are in the process of healing.
Am I saying we should only have ‘Christian friends’? Of course not! Jesus hung out with the socially outcast more than the ‘spiritually secure’. Yet, through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to be open to sharing our faith in a gentle way and get our strength from relationships that celebrate Jesus.
Influencers can be negative or positive. Choose to follow the positive, Christ centered influencers!
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14
“What was I thinking?”
Has that thought ever gone through your head? Maybe you’ve even said it out loud to yourself or others listening. We all have those days, those times when we look at ourselves from the outside and, frankly, can’t believe the action we’ve taken, the words we’ve spoken or the thought/attitude that has crossed our mind.
Let’s face it. Our humanity fails us. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Romans 7, where Paul expresses his own personal frustration with himself. ‘The things I hate I find myself doing, the things I desperately want to do or be known for I fail to do…daily!” (My paraphrase)
So, how do we move on? What steps can we take to remedy the situation? After all, we know there will be some who will take our failings as an opportunity to judge us and to constantly hold our failure against us.
I love what Paul says in Philippians regarding failure. Basically, (again my paraphrase) he is telling us, ‘Stuff happens, we fail, sometimes miserably. People will judge us, condemn us and criticize us, but move on.’
It amazes me how many Bible people failed. They were dishonest. They lied to cover up their own mistakes. They were cowards. They ignored specific commands of God to try to further their own agenda, oftentimes at the expense of others.
Paul isn’t saying we don’t try to make things right. When we’ve wronged others, we need to try to make amends. When we’ve failed we need to put boundaries in place to keep us accountable and protect us from making the same mistakes. But then we need to move on.
The new year is a great time to look back over the previous year and evaluate the path you have taken. What things can you do better?
What things need to be corrected?
What relationships need to be mended?
What relationships need to be ended or at least put on hold?
Are you closer to Christ now than you were a year ago?
When Paul says, ‘forgetting the past and looking forward’ I don’t think he said that flippantly. I think he looked back at the past, made up a plan to make corrections and then he moved on. He didn’t dwell on his failures, he used them as stepping stones to a better tomorrow.
As the calendar flips to a new year, what things do you need to learn from? What things do you need to let go? How can the Holy Spirit help you? Who can you seek out as an accountability partner to walk through life with you?
Lead me the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow. Psalms 5:8
Have you ever been hiking through a forest and lost sight of the trail? Some trails are well marked or even paved. Sometimes though, trails can be hard to follow. Other trails made by animals or people who have taken it upon themselves to find different way, can make your progress confusing, or even dangerous!
We live in a time when many trails cross our paths making it hard to discern which way to go. How many times have you thought (or even said) ‘if only God would just send me a text message or an email so I’d know what to do?’ It seems like around every corner there is a fork in the road.
“Do I choose this relationship or move away from it?”
“Do I take this job, or look for something different?”
“What is the best way for me to eat the way I know I should?”
“I’m facing a transition in life transition.What are next steps?”
When the path becomes difficult to discern, Jesus gives us three steps to help us keep on the path of safety and success.
First, remember that the enemy wants to keep you off course, so ASK the father for direction.
Secondly, don’t be mislead by the path that may seem the most traveled. SEEK for signs of the proper way through prayer, seeking advice from trusted, Godly friends, and reading God’s word.
Lastly, Move forward! FINDing the way is a process. Detours make take us longer to get to our destination, but we may learn valuable lessons along the way.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Philippians 2:6
You walk into your bosses office one day. He tells you he has an amazing opportunity for you. It’s something he knows you will love! It doesn’t involve a raise in pay. It doesn’t come with more status or stature. In fact, some would call it a demotion. But he promises you a retirement plan out of this world. Would you take the job?
That’s what Jesus did for you. He had a corner office. He had all eternity in front of Him. He was Lord of the universe. There was nothing He could not have.
But He gave it all up for you. Most would consider what He did a demotion. Going from living as a king to being a despised pauper. But not Jesus!
Jesus didn’t take the demotion because he wanted to feel the rejection of his creation. Jesus do not step down because he look forward to being ridiculed. Jesus did what he did for you. He did it for live. A live he knows could not be returned at the level He gave it.
He knew the only way for you to experience forgiveness was by his sacrifice. He know the only way for you to see how much he loved you was for him to live among us. He knew the only way that he could experience eternity with you was to die for you.
Jesus also knew another thing. Between his birth, and offering you eternal life, was the cross. The painful, shameful, despised cross. But he did it for you.
He did it because he loves you. He did it because he knew you would fail. He did it because he knew you could not do what needed to be done on your own. What an amazing Savior!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 