Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal (wasteful or reckless and immoral) living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

Luke 15:11-24 NKJV

In terms of understanding this parable, there are a few things I would like to point out:

• The parable is about a son who leaves his father’s house.

The father in this parable is a reference to God our Father. The son is a reference to every born-again believer who has put their faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that before we were born again, we were strangers and foreigners (Ephesians 2:19), but after we have been born again, we receive citizenship with the saints and become members of the household of God. Before we were born again, we were God’s creation, but only after we have been born again do we become children of God.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13 NKJV

• The son wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

Prodigal living means that this son left his father’s house and wasted his inheritance on sinful living. The bible clearly warns us that sin will always lead to spiritual death, and we can see evidence of this from the words of this parable. In Luke 15:24, the father says, “for this my son was dead,” meaning that the son was dead in his sins.

• The son eventually came to the end of himself. He realized that his father’s servants had an abundance of bread – even enough to spare, but he was perishing with hunger.

Coming to the end of ourselves means that we have come to the end of our road. We have exhausted all our options and alternatives, and the only place for us to go is back into our Father’s loving arms. It means that we turn away from sin and come back to our Father in sorrowful heartfelt repentance. Coming to the end of ourselves means that we come to the place where we realize that doing things our way just won’t work, and therefore we are willing to surrender to the will of our loving Father who only wants what is best for us.

This parable also tells us that there arose a severe famine in the land. God has taught me that the hidden spiritual meaning of a famine in Scripture, is lack of spiritual food.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos 8:11 NKJV

The prodigal son realized that his father’s servants had enough bread (the written word of God) to spare, but he was perishing (dying from) with (spiritual) hunger. There is an important message contained in these words for all of us. Lack of spiritual food (the word of God) will always lead to spiritual hunger and eventually spiritual death. Derek Prince has a very good saying, “The bible will keep you away from sin, or sin will keep you away from your bible.”

In this parable, the son came back to his father (signifying repentance) and had a whole speech prepared of how he was no longer worthy to be called his son, but his hope was that his father would make him like one of the hired servants. This next part touches my heart so deeply. The parable tells us that when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him, ran to him and fell on his neck and kissed him. His father didn’t even consider merely making him a servant, because he forgave his son. Instead, he fully restored his son and celebrated that he had come home safely. His father was watching and waiting for him to return home.

God is really good, merciful and full of compassion, and Scripture tells us that He doesn’t want anyone to perish.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

If we come back to God in heartfelt repentance – leaving behind a sinful lifestyle or turning away from habitual sin, God will always forgive us and fully restore us. Living free from sin and obeying the Lord will always lead to life, and at the end of our race – eternal life.

If you feel like this message is for you, I want to plead with you to go back to your Father who loves you and is waiting for you. He will not reject you, He will accept you with open arms and welcome you home. The enemy will try to tell you that you’re too far gone and that God cannot forgive you, but it’s a lie. Continuing in sin will always lead to death and destruction, so don’t wait. Start consuming the written word of God again, and ask God to speak to you and to teach you as you read. The enemy will try to convince you that the bible is boring, but I can tell you that the bible is a wonderful book, and as we include the Holy Spirit (our Teacher) in our reading, He makes the word come alive. The Word of the Lord is living and powerful.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

I would like to encourage you to run your race so that you can lay hold of the prize. Spending eternity with our Beloved Jesus far outweighs any difficulty we will go through in this life. Spending eternity in the arms of our Beloved Jesus far outweighs any temporary pleasure that sin seems to offer. The enemy is a liar, and he will always make sin look appealing and pleasurable, but the Lord clearly tells us in His word that sin will always lead to death and destruction. Therefore, let us fight the good fight of faith and endure to the end.

I pray this message blesses you in Jesus’ name.

Until next time – goodbye.