Game Changers: Devotions for Families Who Play Different (Age 13-18)Näide

The Prodigal Son

Ready: Luke 15:11–32

Set:

The prodigal son is one of the most famous of all the parables told by Jesus in the Bible. The story is about a father with two sons. The younger of the two asked for his full inheritance from his father. The father agreed and granted his son his request.

The younger son took the inheritance and left for a faraway land. It did not take long before he squandered all of his inheritance and was broke. Shortly after this time, a famine struck the country, and the son found himself homeless and hungry. He was so desperate, he took a job feeding pigs and found himself in the slop with the pigs, wishing he could eat like they were eating.

Eventually, he came to his senses and longed to be back home with his father. He yearned to just be treated like one of his father’s servants, for they were being treated better than he was as a caretaker of pigs. So, he began his trek home, not sure what his father’s response would be, but rehearsing his apology, nevertheless. As he approached, his father saw him coming and ran to greet him. The story tells us that “... while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion.” (Luke 15:20) This shows that the father was watching the road. The father threw his arms around his son and kissed him. The son told him that he had sinned against heaven and his father and was no longer worthy to be called his son. But the father ordered his servants to bring him a robe, prepare the fatted calf, and make ready for a celebration. His son, who was lost, had been returned!

This parable is really more about the love of the father than it is the son who squandered his inheritance. His father watched for him every day. And when he finally saw him, he ran to meet him! A man of his status did not typically run. But he didn’t care what people thought. He cared about his son.

When we make decisions that separate us from God, He, too, watches and waits for us to return. When we do, He is filled with compassion and welcomes us back. He celebrates that we have returned. (Luke 15:7)

Go:

1. Do you think your father would give you your inheritance when you are 25? Why or why not? Do you think this was normal, even in that day?
2. Consider how the younger son might have been feeling. What sort of emotions and feelings might he have been wrestling with?
3. Are you shocked by the response of the father when his youngest son showed up?
4. What does this tell you about your heavenly Father and His willingness to accept you back, even when you’ve wandered far away?

Workout:

Luke 15:7; 2 Peter 3:9; James 2:5

Overtime:

“Lord, sometimes I do things I regret. Thank You that You wait for me, have compassion and mercy, and forgive me. Open my eyes to the areas where I am keeping myself separated from You and fix that. Thank You for never giving up on me. In Your name, amen.”