The Lost One

Have you ever wondered what the prodigal son was thinking on his walk back home? What was his father thinking when he saw him? I always wonder about that....here's my take on it.

The Lost One

Aaron was hungry; he had been walking for what seemed like hours. He had taken this long dirt road a million times, but never like this. He was on his way home after years of living the way he finally wanted to - doing what he wanted, when he wanted. But now...now he held his head in shame as he walked home.

Everything on the road held a memory, a wonderful memory that only caused him pain now. There was the tree that he and Isaac would study under; there was the old barn that Abba built for the neighbors. This was harder than he thought. "How am I going to do this? What if I get rejected?" He stopped in his tracks. "What if I cannot go home? Where will I go? No," Aaron said out loud, "I will not let that happen. I must...I must beg him to let me be a servant." Aaron continued walking and thinking; "What am I doing? He's never going to accept me. I spent all of his money on harlots!" He stopped walking again.

Aaron looked at the sky, and then looked at the ground. It was full of pointy rocks, dirt and dung.

"That's it! I will get down on my knees and crawl to him; I will show him how pathetic I know I am!" He continued his walk of shame. He rounded the corner and looked down the road to his childhood home. The place that brought him warmth and comfort as a child only made him feel cold and alone. He strained his eyes to see a little man running down the road to him. "Is that my Abba?" He fell to his knees.

Abba was walking outside the house praying, as he always did at this time, for his youngest Aaron. Aaron was the rebellious one, the one who gave Abba the white hair - but no matter what Aaron did, he still loved his son greatly. Aaron left some time ago, wanting to do his own thing - Abba did not agree...but he knew he must let him make his own choices.

He never heard from Aaron directly, but knew he was OK - at least until the famine hit. No one had seen or heard from his youngest son in quite some time. Abba was fearful that he would never see his youngest again, so he did the best thing he could do...he prayed for him. He had been praying for Aaron since he left, but found himself praying even more now. "Please save my son" was all he could muster. Tears would fill his eyes, and it would hurt to speak...but he would never stop saying: "Please save my son".

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man walking down the road. He felt immediate pity for the man, as he was covered in filth. It seemed that man had not eaten in some time....wait isn't that? He moved closer and squinted. His heart swelled as he realized "THAT'S MY SON! THANK YOU LORD!" He ran as fast as his old legs would take him. It was his son, his lost prodigal son.

Luke15:20-24 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring [fn] out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on [his] feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill [it], and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Have you ever thought: "I can't become a Christian....I've done way to many horrible things." I know I have thought that, I was right there thinking:"God will never love me after what I have done." But you see this parable is a great picture of God's undying love for us. Earlier in the story, Aaron took his inheritance and spent it all on "prodigal" living. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. He knew he disappointed his father, he knew the shame that he brought upon his family - that's why he came back with the intention to become a servant. But his father had other ideas.

Luke 15:7 says: I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. God wants you and only you; He does not care what you have done, who you were or where you have been. He cares only about you. He wants you to see what He has to offer you.

He has this huge gift of salvation waiting for you to accept.

Or are you that person who says: "I can't become a Christian yet, I am having way too much fun right now." Take a look at those verses; the prodigal son thought that way too - but then came the famine and out went his wealth. You obviously think that there will always be an opportunity to accept Christ; but I have one thing to ask you...Who said you were promised the next 5 minutes?

Romans 3:10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
Not even me! I would never, ever claim to be righteous. I am a sinner saved by Grace. You see ALL HAVE SINNED. Yes even you reading this thinking, "I'm a good person. She's not talking to me". So sorry my friend, but I am talking to even you.

Romans 3:23 ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
Again, ALL HAVE SINNED! I know that there are some who say: "But I do good things, that's good enough." Well to that I answer with Eph 2:8&9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (emphasis mine)

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin brings death plain and simple. Even those little white lies you tell ("Oh Mrs. Johnson, that is a lovely purple feather hat"...yea you know what I'm talking about). And the death it speaks of is spiritual death.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God loves us so much, that before we even could even accept Him...He sent His son to die for us.

Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

John 10:17-18 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.
Jesus rose from the dead, so that you may have eternal life through Him.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Jesus offers us eternal life, through Him alone. There is nothing that you or anyone else can do to get you to heaven.

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
We must accept God's gift of salvation by faith alone.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Once we confess our sins, He will forgive them. No matter what they are, Christ will forgive you as long as you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord over your heart.

Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
This says "...calls upon the name of the Lord.." but it does not mean simply saying Lord! It means saying Lord save me, I am a sinner. I confess my sins to you and accept you as my saviour. Come into my heart I pray.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [Shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour....nothing can separate you from His love. Nothing.