One of the most joyful phrases of the Bible is found in the story of the prodigal son. In verse 17 of Luke 15, it says, “And then he came to himself.” Why is this phrase joyful? It is a realization of wrong and a heart that is ready to repent. The prodigal son realizes he is at his “rock bottom” with no where else to go and if he hangs on to his stubbornness and pride he will starve to death. He realizes that even the servants in his father’s household have plenty to eat while he is ready to eat the muck he’s feeding to pigs. But…then he comes to himself. It’s a point in his story where he makes a life changing decision and returns home and encounters both judgment and compassion..
Do you know a prodigal?
Who do you know in your life that is a “prodigal”? Someone who has turned away to reckless and wasteful living. Someone who has walked away from the Christian faith to live like the world. It might be a child, a relative, a friend, a coworker, or fellow church member. Maybe it’s you. One of the biggest hindrances to a prodigal finding their way home is the fear of being judged, unforgiven, unloved, unwanted, and unwelcomed. But what if that prodigal knew that home was a place of love, compassion, and forgiveness?
A brother of judgment
In Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, we find a father of compassion and brother of judgment. The older brother in the story was angry the prodigal son had come home and he was even more angry that his father welcomed him with open arms and held a great feast for him. All he could see was how faithful he had been to his father and he knew that all that his father had should one day be his. Perhaps there was some fear that this brother that returned would be given some of what should become his. Instead of celebrating that his brother was safe, alive, and back home, he was full of self-centeredness, judgement and jealousy. The prodigal had come home, but now his brother is the one gone astray due to a heart of unforgiveness.
A father’s concern
Whenever I read this story, I imagine the father walking to the end of his property every morning and every night and taking a long look down the road – looking for his son to come home. I imagine him falling on his knees in prayer, praying for God to keep his son safe and to bring him back home. I imagine how he misses his son, remembers him as a little boy and all the hopes and dreams he had for this son. Can you see the concern and worry etched across his face as he look down the road each day? He doesn’t know if this son is alive or dead…or if he will ever come home.
Perhaps the other son that stayed at home watches every morning as his father makes the walk to the end of his property looking for the son that left. Maybe there is a little bit of hope inside of him that his brother will come home, but based on how he reacts when he does return, he probably is more likely filled with disgust and jealousy that his father longs for this missing son to return.
A father of compassion
I imagine the day the son comes walking down the road, barely alive. Hungry. His clothes torn, dirty and hanging on him with all the weight he’s lost. He’s barely recognizable. But as his father looks down the road just as the sun is setting, about to turn back home, he stops and turns for just one last look and just over the hill comes the figure of a man walking. He recognizes the gait – it shows the man is tired – but it’s his gait.
He looks a little longer, with hope in his eyes. The man gets a little closer. The man’s hair is dirty and matted together. His eyes are tired, sunken into a face that hasn’t eaten in a long time. His feet are dirty – maybe even bloody from the long walk. The father squints, almost afraid to hope. In the man’s eyes he sees regret, fear of rejection, uncertainty.
The prodigal son looks up he sees his father and stops – not sure of how he will be received. The two stare at each other for a moment and as the father realizes that this is indeed his son, he lets out a whelp of joy and runs to his son. Tears of joy stream down his face. He embraces his son, not caring about the filth or stench. He calls his servants and instructs them to bring his son new clothes and to prepare a feast. And he wraps an arm around his son, helping him make the last steps home.
God is a Father of Compassion
Each of Jesus’ parables held a spiritual meaning to them. In this parables, we are like the prodigal son who wanders away from God, squandering everything and then when we hit rock bottom we begin to find our way back to God.
God is like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. No matter how far away from Him we roam and no matter what we get ourselves mixed up in, when we return with a contrite heart and ask for His forgiveness, God will open His arms to us and welcome us home with joy and celebration.
The brother is more like the world who wants to judge all the mistakes and poor choices and then when the prodigal returns they become angry, unforgiving, doubting if the repentance is genuine. And if God should choose to use the mistakes and lessons learned to bring Him honor and glory then the world steps in to say, “how could God ever use them?”
To the prodigal you know, will you be judgment or compassion?
Think back to the prodigal you know. Who will you choose to be more like: the compassionate father or the judgmental son? Would you be the one to wrap your arm around the prodigal and help them make the last steps home? If the prodigal knew that compassion and forgiveness awaited them, would they be more likely to return once they reach the point of repentance?
God, help us to recognize the prodigals – not to judge, but to be the one that helps them find their way back home. Give us hearts of compassion, ready to forgive, and welcome them home with joy. When you choose to use their story for your glory – help us be encouragers and seek ways to help them carry out their calling.
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
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Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan
We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
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Download our Free 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan
With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
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Download our Free Self-Care Wheel
The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.
Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.
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This week’s new Christian Tees designs:
#Done 2021
This week, we are celebrating the accomplishments of the class of 2021. If you have a high school, college, or university graduate this year, our #Done 2021 shirts and products make a great gift. View the samples below and other products in this design in our Spreadshop store. Once in the store, you can click on the customize tab and add your school name or graduate’s name!
See our other graduation tees and products:
Graduating Seniors and Class of 2021
Once in the store, you can click on the customize tab and add your school name or graduate’s name!
The slide show below highlights some of our favorite Christian Tees designs available in our Spreadshop and Teespring stores.
Jesus is our Peace 
Fight on my knees 
Godfidence 
Walk by faith 
I’m only talking to Jesus today 
Known Loved Worthy Enough Chosen Child of God 
2021 Trailer – All things possible – Be still – It’s fine 
Large view 2021 Trailer – All things possible – Be still – It’s fine 
Grace wins 
Living for the world to see Jesus 
Way Maker 
Walk by Faith 
Script Unstoppable God 
Print Unstoppable God 
Unstoppable Force 
Steps of a Good Man 
Something New 
Seek and Find 
Revive Us Again 
Resist the Devil 
Raise a Hallelujah 
Prayer Warrior 
Beloved- Mr and Mrs 
Mr and Mrs – God’s Plan 
Man of God 
He Left 99 for Me 
Cast All Your Cares 
Giants 
Faith over Fear 
Don’t Worry 
Faith Can Move Mountains 
Don’t Quit 
Created to Praise 
All things are Possible 
What the Lord Requires 
All Things New 
Anything is possible 
With my song I will praise Him 
Names of God 
All things are possible 
Run with perseverance 
Blessings head to toe-hearts 
Revive us again, Lord 
Isaiah 41:13 
Blessings head to toe – roses 
Jeremiah 29:11 
Blessings head to toe 
Be Still 
Blessings head to toe – floral 
God’s starting point
Canvas art and posters are available in the Teespring store. Many of our Christian Tees are also available at Teespring.
To see the collection of Canvas and Poster Prints
Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube
You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce
What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
- Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
- Conversation Starters.
- Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
- Romance Builders.
- Relationship Builders.
- Personal reflections.
- Date ideas.
- Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.
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In 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.
For many of us, God has blessed us with homes, food, electricity, running water, incomes, and all the basic necessities of life. Some have just enough to get by until next payday while others have more than they know what to do with. Many of us look in a closet full of clothes and complain that we have nothing to wear or we look in a fully stocked pantry or refrigerator and complain that there is nothing to eat. Yet, we walk by the poor or homeless without even seeing them…or at least pretending not to see them. God wants to bless them too…and He may be bringing that blessing through you. Is it true that if you give them money they will just by liquor or drugs – perhaps for some, but not all. However, God doesn’t ask us to scrutinize how they spend what we give. He just commands us to give…and to give willingly. In Deuteronomy 15:7-8, God also says to give the poor what they need. If that’s food, give some food. You could consider packing MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in shoe boxes and keeping a few on hand. These could contain non-perishable items that would give someone a full meal – things like an individualized size of cereal, non perishable milk, a can of Vienna sausages or other canned meat, a pack of crackers, a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and a small package of cookies. Maybe the person in need has a home, but they need groceries. Purchase the groceries for them and take them to them. Or maybe their need is help with the lawn. Make it a family project to go over and take care of the yards for them on a Saturday. Maybe they need a home repair and you have the skill to make the repair. Maybe their children need clothes. You could get your church involved to collect gently used clothing in the right sizes and take them to the family. Maybe it’s a child struggling in school in an area that you are gifted. You could offer free tutoring.
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