New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 11
page A13
H ow You C an K now G od
coffee. While originally he thought he had it tough in his father’s house, he
came to realize that life outside his father’s house was simply insane. Even
more, he realized that his own actions had brought on his troubles.
We live in an age when few individuals want to take responsibility for their
own actions. There is always someone or something to blame. If it’s trouble at
home, we say, “The problem is my parents.” If it’s trouble at school, we say,
“The problem is my teachers.” Trouble at work? Then it’s the fault of a boss or
colleagues. We always find someone or something to blame. “I wouldn’t have
done this if you hadn’t done that.” “I act like that because it’s the way my father
(or mother) acted.” “Maybe I shouldn’t have done it, but you’re just as bad!”
But there has to come a point where we own up to what we have done. The
Bible says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
It’s an amazing thing when we ditch the excuses and stop the blame shifting
and admit the problem is us. Sometimes this happens gradually, dawning on
us over a period of time. But often it’s instantaneous. Like a flash, it comes to
you: “It’s not these Christians who are crazy. It’s me!”
It happened that way with the Lost Son. Suddenly, like a flash, it dawned on
him that it was not his father who was wrong, but him. He recognized the love
and patience of his father and how he had offended him. Once that happened,
immediately he saw his old, confining home in a very new light. The lonely
boy longed for his family.
You may say, “But I have no family to return to!” Perhaps your parents are
divorced, or your dad is abusive, or your mom left you. Maybe you have already
lost your parents to death. But I want to assure you: You do have a family. It’s
called the family of God, the church. And you do have a Father, a Father in
Heaven who even now is waiting for you.
This boy eventually realized that everything he was looking for he already
had in his father’s house. In the same way, everything you need in life is found
in a relationship with God!
How did the father in the story feel when his son left? He was sad. He missed
his son. Now remember, this story is a snapshot of God. How does God feel
about people like us wasting our lives? He also feels sad. He also misses us.
The boy in the story said, “I will go home to my father.” He could have
repeated this resolution daily and yet never have done anything about it, but
he acted on his plan. In a similar way, a lot of people who have fallen into sin
say, “One of these days, I am going to get right with God.” But nothing ever
changes, and they sink deeper into sin as their hearts grow harder and harder.
To get right with God, we need to utter three difficult words: “I have sinned”
(Luke 15:21). God cannot forgive the sin we will not confess!
