Have you ever woke up and said to yourself “how in the world did I get in this shape?” We want to get up like we’re still 20, but we can’t. We do this spiritually sometimes.
Luke 15:11 “And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
There was a wealthy man with a son who had it made, yet the son walked away. He wanted the best of both worlds. He saw only the pretty side of what he longed to see. Well, it was pretty for a while. He woke up one morning in a hog pen. He probably said to himself “how in the world did I get here? What caused me to do this?” The best part of the far country was this hog pen he found himself in. Thank God for hog pens. It made him realize how far away from his father he was and what all he left behind.
Think about your spiritual life; where did you used to be? Are you the picture of one who leaves the Lord even if only in heart and mind, maybe even in secret? You know how far or how close you are. You can be a prodigal and come to church. The exterior can look right, but what about your heart?
This son woke up a long way from home. Take a close look at where you are right now. Leave all the images and bright lights out of the picture and look at yourself in line with God’s word. Don’t say “I hope I’m right” or “I think I am.” You know. We all know. The prodigal knew he’d walked off and was not where he was supposed to be. He felt that vacancy, and it motivated him to get up and go back home. A subtle path led him away, and every step he took led him farther away from the Father. We can be led away just as this boy was. As surely as there is a path that leads us away, there is one back to the Lord.
The prodigal saw himself in the hog pen and thought back to where he came from. He knew it was his fault. Too many times we don’t want to take responsibility for our actions or our inaction. When we get slack on reading the Bible and praying or coming to church, we sometimes like to lay the blame on something or someone else. We are responsible for our own relationship with the Lord. This young man was in the hog pen of his own accord. It all started with getting bored with his family and his life. Maybe he didn’t want to do his chores. He didn’t see the security of the family. He took everything for granted. He’d done nothing to deserve it. He’d been born into the family by blood. We have the Bible, our church family, even our Father. We have the privilege to worship. Do you say “church is dull? It needs to be more exciting? Nobody ever prays?” If you prayed, then someone would be praying. The enticement of the world pulls at you. Next thing you know you’re out of church; you backslide.
The far country is still around, brighter than ever. If it got this son, we are susceptible to falling and going away. We can leave our spiritual home and find ourselves in the middle of where we didn’t want to be. It took the hog pen for this young man to realize how far away he was. He had to decide. He could stay there and die or get up and go home. No one else could do it. He had a part to do. No one but Jesus can save, but we have a part to do. We have to come to him. We have to turn to Jesus as Savior. Only then can we be saved.
Maybe you’re in a weakened state and thinking about walking away. “It’s not like it used to be.” It’s not someone else’s fault. Nothing has failed. The Lord never has and never will. We all struggle, but we need each other. If some kind of failure is your reason for going away from the Father, you are at fault. If you start for the far country, you will find yourself in the hog pen. Now is the time to make your way back.
Jesus taught this to both his disciples and the religious leaders at that time. This is the church age we’re living in. We can look and see it all around us. Look in the mirror. We can pray for others, but before we can do that we must pray for ourselves. We need to examine ourselves. Where are you in relation to your Christian home and family? You may wake up one day and be farther away that you thought. You can’t have it both ways. You might quote scriptures and go through the motions but still find yourself stranded. The son wanted his identity with his family. He had broken it. He couldn’t call on his father or see his home. The devil had had maneuvered him clean out of sight.
Coming back is not near as hard when we assume responsibility for our sin. This boy was far from what he was as the son. Now he was the servant and fed the swine. We can’t have the blessing of being a Christian and have sin in our life. The son realized where he was. The far country takes and takes and takes. It will cripple us spiritually. We won’t know what’s up or down, right or wrong. It gets all mixed up. We’re miserable. Mud is mud. Hog manure is hog manure. Sin is not different from what God says no matter how we try to dress it up. Believe God. What looked good to this boy wasted and robbed him. All that was friendly turned into such cold-heartedness. When we get away from God we are stranded. There was nothing else for him to do, no farther for him to go. He realized there was a way back. His father never gave up on him. He looked for him. The son heard the snorts of the hogs, but the voice of his father’s love reached his heart. He came to his senses. He knew he needed to take action. With a repentant, humbled heart, He arose and started the road back home.
Even if he would only be a servant, this boy wanted his father to know he was sorry. With that kind of heart, he was able to do it. The father hugged him, cleaned him up, and gave him a robe to wear. He said “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” He always had his home.
Are you in the far country? You always have a home. It’s up to you to find it again—it can always be found. Just turn around.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 