 The Parable of the Prodigal Son is way up there for me. It’s definitely in the top 5 favorite Scripture passages. It shows the amazing love God has for us; it shows how wretched we truly are; it shows the abundant life God has promised us in His house. But, the reason it makes it into the top 5 has to do with one seemingly forgettable phrase. Re-read the parable found in Luke 15:11-32:
Add Comment  I don’t know about you, but Barry’s message last Sunday was like a smack in the head. Lukewarm is not a word that I take kindly to, but if I’m being honest, it’s a word that describes me far too often. Yuck. But, I have found some motivation for kicking my lukewarm habit. But, I guess I should warn you. This blog could leave you with more questions than answers, but at the very least, I hope these Scripture passages stick in your head for a while. Read this:
 This month, we’re in a series called ‘Christian Atheist: believing in God, but living as though He doesn’t exist.’ It’s sobering, to say the least. And, I think I’ve come up with the root of these issues…for me anyway. Read this passage from Romans 7 from the Message Bible:
 The Christian Atheist: We’ve just started this series, and can I be honest? I find myself quite annoyed with it already. We’ve been reading the book that this series comes from in our staff meeting and I have been very tempted to throw that thing across the room a few times. Why? It’s requiring me to do some serious soul searching. It’s requiring me to rip off the scab of polite living and start getting real about some things in my life. I don’t like it. However, having been through this before, I know that on the other side of this whole scab-picking process is a deeper faith, a deeper love, and a deeper understanding of the LORD. That’s the only reason I’m sticking with this. (Ok, my fit is now finished…)
 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD,
- Jeremiah 29:11-14a If anything in my life has been an exercise in spiritual growth, it has been our marriage. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am madly in love with Mr. Morton and wouldn’t trade one minute of our time together for anything. I recognize completely that the LORD brought us together and that there is likely no one else on the planet who would put up with me and my ridiculous-ness. (I think I just made up a new word, but you get the idea.)  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:6,7
(I thought, perhaps, I should start at the beginning, but then that scene in Goonies came flooding back to my memory. All I could hear was Chunk saying, ‘In the third grade…’ So, I’ll make the intro quick.) |  AuthorArchivesCategories |
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