The Prodigal Son by Matt CarterSample

Day 2: The Lie In the first day of this plan, we were introduced to the parable of the prodigal son. The remaining days will take this parable and break it apart, examining parts of it each day. We said that the prodigal son is really about a question—Is the best life for me found outside of the love of my heavenly Father? Surveying the world around us, it’s undeniable that scores of people have answered, "yes" - the best life is found by pursuing my own path just like the prodigal. Maybe you are or have been one of those people. Rejecting God and pursuing our own path is the essence of what the Bible calls sin. The younger son’s request to his father was bold and cruel. He was essentially saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead. I’d rather have your money than you.” For him to make this request, the son had to believe life in the far country was better than life in his father’s house. Similarly, when we pursue sin, it’s because we have believed the lie that disobeying God will be good for us. The problem with sin—like the promise of the far off country—is that it never delivers on what it promises, but if that’s true why do all of us go our own way?  We have to consider what leads people to sin in the first place. God knew His children would face a world where they would question whether or not following Him was the best choice. The Bible has the answer. The Scriptures give two primary reasons we believe lies: our sinful nature and the lies of the devil. Romans 1 describes the root of our sin problem. We have exchanged the worship of our Creator for the praise and pursuit of created things that cannot fulfill us. We believe the lie of the devil that there is something better out there for us that God is denying us. Like the prodigal, we leave our Father’s house to find a “freedom” that does not deliver the life it promises. The devil is described as a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8), cunning (2 Cor. 11:3), powerful (Jude 9), and a liar (John 8:44). Just as in the garden (see Genesis 3:1-7), he is whispering the lie that the best life is found outside of our Father’s house. As we will see in the coming days, the best life is found rejecting the lies of the devil and embracing the love of the Father. Consider this question: what lies of the devil have you believed? How are those lies shaping the way you relate to your heavenly Father?