Wednesday, August 25, 2021 Some material taken from Prone to Wander by Van Houser
The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. "So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. "And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. Luke 15:12-16
When You Walk Away From God
Walking away from God is serious business for anyone, but especially for a Christian. We know exactly what we are doing when we purposefully reject His authority in our lives to do what we want to do instead.
From Brother Van’s sermon this past Sunday, we learned five things that can happen when we cast off God’s authority.
· Self is enlarged – The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. Luke 15:12 Exaggerated Sense of Entitlement: When we are choosing to turn from God’s leading and authority, we are sometimes in an “I deserve it” mentality. We think we deserve what we want, especially if we have been hurt by someone else, or things have been tough for a while. Some people believe that God wants them to be happy. Although God does love us very much and want good things for us, it is His sole desire for us to be happy. It is His sole desire for us to holy. Holiness will fulfill us and it permanent. Happiness is fleeting and dependent on our circumstances. God does not want us to sit here on earth happy and proud. It is the hard things in life that make us strong – and holy. Once again, chasing happiness will always result in more emptiness than we started with.
· Thinking is impaired –And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Luke 15:13 Stinking Thinking! – Blinded to consequences! Chasing happiness will often lead us to pretty unpleasant consequences. Usually, these consequences are a part of our lives for a very long time (long after the happiness fades), if not permanently. The cost of chasing happiness is high.
· You find yourself in need – Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. Luke 15:14 Bad decisions lead to poverty. We spend all our resources on what we think makes us happy and then we are VERY unhappy because we have not found fulfillment, but an empty bank account and debt. We may also find our heart is empty as well after pouring it out in all the wrong places. This is poor stewardship on all accounts – with our money and our time. We can go Home and be filled again by our Heavenly Father with everlasting satisfaction.
· You sell yourself cheap – So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. Luke 15:15-16a When we have emptied everything out looking for something we realize we aren’t going to find, we become desperate. Desperation drives us to do many things we would never consider doing otherwise, and it can also keep us there for a long time. We can quickly find ourselves in another “pigpen” because we don’t think we have a choice. We feel worthless and quickly forget that we are still royalty. God never disowns or disinherits us no matter what we do. We are too valuable to keep selling ourselves away to the world.
· You Find Yourself Alone - …and no one was giving anything to him.” Luke 15:16b If there is one thing that sin will give you it is loneliness. Even in our sin, our Father is waiting for us to “come to our senses” and turn back to Him. He is still there, never leaving nor forsaking us.
What is it exactly that drives us away from the security, safety and provision of family or from God? Part of the reason is selfishness, part idolatry, part dissatisfaction, part rebellion. When we are dissatisfied in our hearts, Satan can easily lure us away with shiny illusions and distractions. He knows we are looking, and he is more than happy to make us think he has just what we need.
Then one day we wake up – face down in the muck – and we realize this is not what we want at all. Everywhere we have stopped along the way has not provided us with what we want either. That is the moment we come to our senses and realize that the authority and presence of our Heavenly Father is exactly what we needed and wanted all along. And He is there, waiting.
