Good Morning! What a nice morning too! Last night I thought about the story of the Prodigal Son. If you are at all like me, the prodigal part came easily, even naturally. I cannot remember a time when I was not good at the prodigal part of that story. Rebellion, spending, gluttony, all of these come naturally to a creature stained with sin from birth. Have you ever noticed that all of Jesus' parables have an element of "me" in them? As in, "oops, that's me. I'm often like that." I read the stories of Jesus coming down on the Pharisees and their legion of rules, only to think badly of someone else for some small infraction. There seems to be no getting around the fact that I am all of the wrong things spoken of in the Bible.
That is why the Law points to Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law. Read in Leviticus the extensive rules for how to do everything in life. Is it any wonder the Israelites had trouble keeping the law? What are the corners of the beard anyway, and why should they not be trimmed? I think that God made the Law difficult to show us how we cannot keep it. They didn't back in the day, and we don't keep it now. Prodigals everywhere I look and I am not the least of them. Praise the Lord for forgiveness in Jesus!
Paul tells us in Romans that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard. Almost 2,000 years later there is no better way to put it. We are all prodigals from birth and only in Jesus can we be saved. Heavy news for a Saturday? Yep, me too, but that is what came to me for the devotional today. On the other hand, we have the Good News of Christ's resurrection and life! He has risen! Conquering death and the grave, none can overcome our Lord Jesus. We cannot be condemned when God has forgiven our sin. Jesus paid the price and we cannot be charged again with the same crime. Hold your hands up to heaven today and rest in the glory of our Lord's sacrifice for us.
Give glory to the Lord this day!
Bucky
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