New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 9
In fact, we need to go to an expert on the subject. And who is a better expert
on this topic than Jesus himself?
In a beloved story, Jesus gave us a clear snapshot of God that shows us he is
personally and deeply interested in every aspect of our lives. We can think of
this story as a “divine selfie.” It’s called the parable of the Lost Son, but it might
better be called the parable of the Loving Father. In this story, Jesus portrays
God as a loving heavenly Father who deeply cares for us and greatly misses us
when we go astray.
As the story begins, we see a young man deciding to leave home. This boy
came from an affluent family with many servants. Despite the love in this
home, the young boy wanted nothing to do with it. He grew tired of the rules
and regulations and decided his dad had been keeping him back from enjoying
the life he wanted. When the boy saw the bright lights of the big city calling his
name, he wanted to experience everything this world had to offer. No doubt he
thought, What could Dad know about this sort of thing?
Perhaps you come from a broken home or you have suffered through a
divorce. You feel betrayed and hurt. You are out on your own, trying to find
meaning and purpose in life. You feel lonely and isolated. You are looking for
someone or something to fill that void in your life. You have probably discovered that this world doesn’t have the answers to life’s deepest questions. Why
not? Because the heart of the problem is a problem of the heart.
In fact, the problem is inside us. That’s why it is almost laughable when
people say, “The answer is within.” The Bible plainly teaches that the problem
is within! A lot of people think that if they could just escape their problems,
they’d be fine. Then—SURPRISE—they find their problems following them!
That’s because we all have a heart problem, which is part of the lesson Jesus
wanted to teach us through his story about the Lost Son. Listen to him tell it:
A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, “I want my share
of your estate now before you die.” So his father agreed to divide his
wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his
belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money
in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over
the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him,
and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. (Luke 15:11-15)
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