Tell Me a Story: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistryCampione

STORY #3: What does "prodigal" mean? “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13). Hey, if verses 11 to 12 sounded unbelievable, verse 13 sounds totally real. In fact, it sounds like a reality TV show. If the kid actually did manage to get his hands on the cash, of course he’d live like a pig. Hardly anybody respects unearned money. In today’s world the money would disappear up his nose, or at blackjack tables, or he’d be fleeced by professional female entertainers. Money always seems to attract a crowd. “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:14-16). Sin always ends badly. The devil does indeed own the short term, and he can provide a blast of excitement up front. But it’s all hollow; soon the brokenness and depression roll in. And isn’t it amazing how fast your “friends” evaporate when your cash is gone? Do you know anybody whose life sounds like this?