The Prodigal In All Of
Us
“For all of us have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Ron Mehl, friend and author of “God Works The Night Shift,” used to
say, “What you expose, God will
cover…and what you cover, God will expose.” Great advice for everyone to hearken.
Too often, we live our lives with excuses. When we come to the heavenly Father, excuses
won't do...nor is it the time for
"Let's Make A Deal."
In perhaps one of the most famous
stories in the Bible, the Prodigal Son did many things wrong; we do find
something that he did “ruthlessly right” in the story.
The prodigal son did not come home making excuses. If he had offered excuses, he could not have
come home. He would have been there physically, but not emotionally or
spiritually. He didn’t come negotiating
either. The only thing that would work
is for the prodigal son to come to the father saying, "I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am not worthy to be called your son."
The truth is, all of us
sin…and all of us have sinned. We all
mess up, then we try to hide it. The
process is always the same. We started out doing it in the Garden and it
lingers through history’s timeline. Adam
and Eve were in this beautiful garden with everything they could ever want. The only thing God told them not to do is eat
of the tree. But as soon as they sinned,
rather than running to God, they ran from Him.
Prior to knowing Christ,
John Newton was a seaman, but not an ordinary seaman. John Newton was the captain of his
ship, but not an ordinary ship. He was the captain of a slave ship. He was
involved in the infamous African slave trade in the 19th century.
It happened that Captain Newton held
many of the vices that are common to most seaman: cursing, drinking, and a
woman in almost every port. But Captain Newton had another vice. When his ship
would take slaves from Africa to America, he would get drunk and treat people
unspeakably as a result. On
one of these voyages, Captain Newton carried a passenger from Africa.
This passenger was a Christian and took the time to share his faith with
Captain Newton. It didn’t happen immediately, but Captain Newton gave his life
to Christ. He began to study the Bible and pray. He stopped cursing and stopped
drinking. He did not stop running his slave ship. He picked up his terrible cargo and set out
to sea. As the days went by, the temptation to sin gripped John Newton. Not knowing what to do he reached for a
bottle. The next day, he reached for his
Bible. He opened the book and came to
the story of the Prodigal Son. He fell on his face before God and repented of
the terrible sins he had committed. He then penned the words of this poem:
Everyone knows the poem
that was later put to music:
Amazing
Grace, How sweet the sound
That
saved a wretch like me!
I
once was lost, but now I am found,
Was
blind but now I see.
“Amazing Grace” which is arguably the greatest
hymn ever written, came from a heart that finally repented. Whether we’ve had nothing to do with God or
simply have veered from Him, He extends an invitation to all who will respond
to His forgiveness...to people like John Newton and all prodigal sons both
before and since. If we expose it, He will eliminate it.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) What words best express your gratitude for God’s forgiveness?
2) Is there any secret area you might
give to Him today?
Consider reading the word:
Copyright
2014- Terry Risser
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